Hiding Secrets
by Fangnatic14
Summary: When Fang meets Max, he has to learn that everything is not as it seems. Her and her dad are hiding a HUGE secret and he's determined to find out what it is. Will be FAX, obviously. Same author as Present Day and Just Run!
1. Chapter 1

Our mansion has open windows. But that's just to make people think we're not hiding anything. There were two major secrets of my life. One: I had wings. Two: My "dad" abused me. He's actually my biological father but he acts nothing like he should. He created me at a lab in California and then helped me escape three years back, when I was twelve. Now we lived in Virginia and he owned a mansion from his new job there – he moved to a different lab. At first, he was the nicest guy ever. He taught me how to read and write, how to add and subtract, the basics of school so I could be enrolled. He even taught me how to fly. But now, since his wife died he's kept me a secret to the world. I never knew who my mom was and never will. But now that you're somewhat caught up, I can tell you about my life right now.

It was Sunday night and I was cleaning the _entire_ mansion . . . in a maid's outfit. I never had to wear it except for on Sunday's. That was the night that Jeb (my "dad") would bring someone home. It was always a different lady every week. It made me sick. So I had to act like his maid. That's what I meant by him keeping me a secret to the world. I had my duster and was swiping it up and down the decorative columns on each side of the staircase. Jeb walked inside with a woman clinging to his arm and laughing. They came straight toward me and stopped.

"Jessica, this is my maid, Max." He smirked at me but I ignored it and smiled at his new girlfriend.

"It's very nice to meet you." I was truthfully sincere. I liked Jeb's girlfriends, but not him.

"It's nice to meet you too. Oh, and this house looks beautiful. You must work very hard to clean it." She turned to Jeb. "May I?" He nodded and my stomach dropped. Jessica pulled out her wallet and gave me twenty dollars. "Keep up the good work."

"Why don't you go on upstairs?" Jeb asked. "I'll be up there in a minute."

"Okay." She turned behind the wall while climbing the stairs and I handed the money over to Jeb. He slapped me across the face.

"You don't need this, you worthless piece of shit." He stuffed it in his pocket and then poured the beer he was holding out onto the floor. Once it was empty, he dropped the bottle and let it shatter. I stared at it and he leaned forward to my ear. "Clean that up." He whispered then chuckled. He started up the stairs and turned around to face me one more time. "Oh, by the way, the sheets are gonna need cleaning tomorrow." He winked at me and left the room. I sighed and started picking up the biggest pieces of glass. I brought them into the kitchen and threw them in the trash and then got a wet wash cloth to wipe up the fibers of glass and alcohol.

I got on my hands and knees to clean it up and immediately snorted in disgust. This outfit was so short; it was almost showing my underwear. I quickly wiped it up and threw the wash cloth into the laundry room at the other end of the house. I opened the secret door in the linen closest and climbed up two flights of stairs up to the attic, my room.

When I reached the top stair, I opened up a hatch in the ceiling. I pulled myself up through it and when I was in my room, I slid it back into place. There were no windows in my room, unlike the rest of the house where basically every wall was a window. I sighed and looked over at my ripped up mattress on the floor, then at my pile of clothes for school. I finally changed out of my maid outfit and hung it up on a hook nailed into the wall. Then I changed into my one pair of pajamas and went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

I was sleep deprived. I always had to wake up at four in the morning to be able to be at school at nine. I know a lot of you are thinking that I should fly away or tell the police but sadly, I forgot how to fly. Ever since Jeb's wife died, I haven't been aloud to fly (since she loved to watch me) and Jeb has kept me so busy with everything that I haven't even had time to sneak out; I'd be too exhausted. As for the police . . . they were Jeb's friends. Before I knew that, I _did _try to tell on him. But they just laughed and said, "Yeah, right. Come on girlie, we've been friends with Jeb since he moved here. He doesn't have a wife, let alone a daughter." Then I finally realized that his wife died _before_ we moved here and I had already been a secret by that point. I remember when Jeb started acting weird. He was still nice at that point, just mourning. He asked me what name I liked. _He_ named me Maxine Batchelder and I like being called Max, so I changed it to Maximum and I chose my last name to be Ride because of Sally Ride. He enrolled me in school with that name.

Okay, enough with the explanations, I just get carried away sometimes. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets but if I tell you one, I tell you _all_ of them.

So anyway, I got in the shower and exactly five minutes later, the water turned off. Jeb put a timer on the shower so I couldn't "use more water than needed"; it would automatically turn off. I would alternate my shower days; I'd shave one day and wash my hair the next. So I washed my hair and got dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, shorts and converse. I grabbed my binder and ran downstairs to make Jeb breakfast. But first, I grabbed a small bowl of cereal. It was five by the time I had Jeb's breakfast made. He sleepily came downstairs and sat in front of his plate.

"Did you get a good night's rest?" I asked him.

"What do you care?" He asked like it wasn't _his_ fault that I hated him.

"Well, you are my dad." I said sweetly. "Where's Jessica?"

"I dumped her somewhere around three in the morning and I told her to leave." He explained nonchalantly. I nodded and went upstairs to get the sheets. I started the laundry and then cleaned up the breakfast mess. Once that was done, Jeb went upstairs to get ready for work. I had to wait for him to leave before I was aloud to finish getting ready and I wasn't aloud to sit on the furniture. As I stood there waiting, I tried to unfold my wings. It took me a moment but once they were extended, I let out a long sigh. I heard Jeb start making his way downstairs and I folded in my wings as quickly as I could, but I didn't do it fast enough and he saw the tips of my feathers. He stomped over to me and grabbed my arm, yanking me toward him. He pulled back his hand into a fist and was about to punch me when I let out a small whimper. He dropped his hand and smiled, happy that I was afraid of him and that he had control over me. Then he twisted my arm until my shoulder popped out of it socket.

"Go to school, bitch. Oh, and if you're late coming home and making me dinner, I might just have to hurt you." He threatened.

"Yes sir. That's reasonable sir." Jeb left the house and drove off in his Ferrari Enzo while I grabbed my binder and started heading out the door. I turned on the alarm, locked up the house, and started walking to school.

* * *

I was late to school, like always but my first period teacher was cool so she didn't freak out or ask for a late pass. I rolled up my sleeve to look for the handprint as I walked down the hallway and then popped my shoulder back into place. It felt better but it was still sore. I was glad I was able to pop it back in place. If I didn't, it would've completely healed wrong by lunch. I let out a deep breath and walked around the corner, only to have someone run into my shoulder.

"Watch it!" I yelled dropping all my stuff. I got on my knees and began to pick it up.

"You watch it!" I heard a male voice say. "I'm just trying to find my new classes. The school decided to switch my entire schedule to honors classes since I was too smart for regular classes." He sounded smug.

"Great for you." I said sarcastically. "But I've been in honors classes this whole year." I stood back up, expecting to see some kind of nerd, but I saw a kid taller than me with dark hair and dark eyes. He was glaring at me so I glared back. I brushed past him and kept going to my class.

"Hey!" He called. "Wait up!" He ran up to me and grabbed my arm. I immediately pulled away and kept walking. He easily kept in step with me which pissed me off even more than it should. "I'm Fang by the way."

"Great." I said sounding bored.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?" He asked.

"It would just be a waste of time." I explained. "I'd love to keep talking but this is my class." I stepped inside the classroom before . . . _Fang_ could answer. Fang, what a stupid name! My teacher looked at me and called me over. The rest of the class was pretty noisy, like always, so they didn't notice.

"Why are you late today?" She asked.

"My alarm clock went off late." I lied.

"You need to fix that alarm; this is the ninth time this month."

"Yes ma'am." I said sweetly. Then I sat down and began working on the latest assignment.

* * *

I sat by myself at lunch like always and I didn't eat. Jeb never gave me money for lunch and I wasn't aloud to take anything from home. Skipping lunch was hard for me since I needed like 6,000 calories a day. It was ridiculous. I ate like a hobo while Jeb ate like a King. Actually, more like a dictator, emphasis on the _dic_. Anyway, I sat in my chair and clenched at my growling stomach while I looked around the cafeteria. People were together and laughing with their friends. I _could_ have friends, but I didn't want to because it would put them in danger too.

I held my stomach and pictured it filling up with food. A few seconds later, I wasn't hungry. It's silly, I know, but it works. I saw that Fang kid pass by with one of his friends. He looked right at me, the empty seats around me, and the invisible tray of food, and he threw me an apple. I caught it and glared at him until he turned around and kept walking. I looked at the apple and contemplated eating it. I didn't want him to wonder why I didn't get lunch if I was hungry, but then I decided to eat it and if had to ask me any questions, I would come up with some kind of lie.

When I bit into the apple, it felt like I was getting a taste of heaven – without dying of course. This was the first time I had ever eaten lunch (if you could call it that) at school. I kept glancing out of the corner of my eye at Fang. Every few seconds he'd look at me, just to be sure I was eating. Frankly, it was quite creepy. But I did finish eating and I threw the apple core away before I headed to my next class. I hate to say it but . . . I was actually glad that he gave me something to eat.

* * *

I thought my day was pretty good, but of course it had to go downhill in seventh period. I think you can guess why. If not, then let's just say that _someone_ had to show up. If you _still_ don't get it, then I can't really help you and you're gonna have to figure it out on your own.

So basically, I walk into my class, Fang isn't there. I'm pretty much happy. I don't know what it is about him but I feel like he's gonna make the secret, that I've tried so hard to keep quiet, come out into the open. I look around the room to double check that he isn't there, and he comes strolling though the door. I was about ready to kill myself. The only good thing that happened in that class was that he was seated across the room from me. I think the teacher saw how I was glaring when he walked in. She was always looking after me and was the only one who knew I had wings (besides Jeb).

The class went by fairly quickly. All we had to do was read a chapter, do the chapter review at the end, and define the vocabulary. Okay, so it didn't go by _too_ quickly. Anyway, at the end of the class, Ms. Ammon called me out to pick up the sheets for her while the rest of the class talked. When I brought them up to her, Fang decided to come up also . . . of _course_. Of freaking _course_! I handed the papers to Ms. Ammon while I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Fang to see what he was trying to pull. All he did was give her his schedule.

"You're supposed to sign this so I can turn it into the front office." She took the paper from him and scribbled down her initials. Ms. Ammon looked back up at me.

"Thank you Max. Oh, and I need to speak to you after class." She winked at me and handed Fang his schedule back. He was giving me a confused look when I turned and walked back to my seat. I knew that Ms. Ammon wanted to talk to me about my wings and Jeb, and _Fang_ knew that something was going on. I wish she hadn't said that in front of him.

Once the class was over and everyone walked out the door, Ms. Ammon came and took a seat next to me.

"So Max," she began, "are you okay? Like, is Jeb hurting you badly?"

"He popped my arm out of its socket this morning but I was able to get it back into place by the time I got to school." I explained.

"Max that's horrible. You should really tell somebody about it."

"I already told you that I can't do that Ms. Ammon." I said exasperatedly. "Nobody even knows I have a dad except for you. Even his _girlfriends_ think I'm his maid. Besides, I heal quickly so if I'm only mildly hurt and can fix it, I will. I don't want anyone involved because it would put them in danger. I'm already scared for you."

"Don't be." Ms. Ammon laughed. "I just think it's crazy that you're keeping everything a secret. Especially the wings. You could get all of those labs shut down if you tell someone."

"Yeah I could shut them down but that would leave me two choices. I'd either be a freakshow or I'd be put down like a rabid dog. Most likely, both." I sighed and flopped my head on to the table. "I don't know what to do Ms. Ammon. Just please keep everything a secret."

"I always have and I always will." She promised with a smile. We sat for a few minutes in silence until my head snapped up to look at the clock.

"Shit!" I yelled as I grabbed my binder. I had binder in hand and was rushing toward the door in less than two seconds.

"Max! Language!" Ms. Ammon shouted.

"Right, I'll work on it but I really gotta go. Bye!" I ran at full speed toward my house. If I wasn't alone and there was someone out there who loved me and was watching over me, Jeb would be home late.

**Okay you guys i just wanna say that i am SO sorry i haven't posted in so long. i have been on vacation this entire time and was not aloud to bring my laptop. sorry (again) to keep you waiting but i hope you understand. if you don't and wanna send me bad comments go on ahead but please don't use curse words. BTW, Sam Worthington's birthday was yesterday (Jake Sully in AVATAR)! So yay for him! So, yeah, just leave a comment. The chapters on my other stories should be up soon. Thanks :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Nobody was watching over me today. I came home only to see Jeb's car in the driveway. I ran inside to see Jeb on the couch.

"Hello Max." He spoke calmly, holding a glass of wine. "Do you know how late you are?"

"I don't know, like five minutes? I didn't know you'd home early so-"

"SHUTUP! I've been waiting for you for TWO WHOLE MINUTES! I had to pour my _own_ glass of wine."

"I'm sorry sir; I had to talk to my teacher about something we're uh . . . working on in class. I got home as quickly as I could." It took every ounce of my bravery to lie to him at the moment.

"Oh, so now your grades are dropping! You know that if you get lower than an A on any subject you get beaten."

"Yes, I know that sir but my grades aren't-"

"I don't appreciate your lack of respect for me!" He screamed. I became too fed up to deal with him right now.

"I do _everything_ for you! _EVERYTHING! _And what do _you _do? You beat me! You harass me! You torment me, and I'm _sick _of it!" I gasped, realizing that I had gone too far.

He lunged forward and grabbed the back of my neck before smashing his wine glass against my head. It shattered and cut my face as it fell. His hand was big enough to close around my neck and he took that advantage, choking me. The only difference about this fight, is that I was going to fight back. I grabbed his wrist and dug my nails in to his skin until it started to bleed. Being the little wimp he was, he pulled his hand away, letting me get a gasp of air before he tackled me to the ground. He punched my nose a few times before quickly standing up and kicking me in the ribs. I tried standing multiple times, but I kept getting knocked down. I was weak . . . and he made me this way. He kicked my ribs and back as hard as he could. He finally decided that he was getting tired of using his energy on me and decided to bring it to an end. He managed to grab a handful of my hair to pull me up before whacking my head against the marble coffee table, knocking me unconscious.

* * *

When I finally woke up, it was like eleven in the morning. School had started two and a half hours ago, and Jeb was gone. He left me a note though. It claimed that as soon as I woke up, I'd clean the mess up, clean myself up, and head to school. He also warned that the he left the security cameras on so he can see later if I actually left the house for school. It's not like I had anywhere else to go _to_. So I did what he was told.

I decided to skip shaving again since I needed to wash the dried blood out of my hair. I had only one type of make-up, cover up; and I was pretty good at using it too. After pulling my hair back, I applied the cover up to every little scratch I had, as well as the bruise that was blossoming on my temple. I had checked for glass in my head earlier but, luckily, found nothing. I straightened out my nose as much as I could without re-breaking it. It didn't look too bad, I just had to wait 'til later to fix it completely. I got in to my usual long-sleeved shirt and jeans and gave a snide smile and wave to the cameras as I left.

Walking to school always took like fifteen minutes but today, I was glad to be in the fresh air. When I took a deep breath, I felt a painful pressure on my ribs. Definitely broken. Luckily, I didn't have to go to the hospital. Over the years, I had developed a power to heal myself, but only if they were serious injuries. I closed my eyes and focused on my bones. I could feel every one and an image slowly came to my mind of what my skeleton looked like. Huh, would you look at that. Two of my ribs _were _broken. I took the picture in my mind and changed it, making everything look normal, and I slowly started to feel my ribs shift. It was painful, but useful since I lived with a monster.

When I got to school, it was lunch time. I took my normal seat by myself and again, Fang walked by. He saw the empty table in front of me and told his friend to go sit down. His friend left him and Fang came to sit across from me. I just glared at him.

"What do you want?" I snapped. It wasn't my fault that I was in a bad mood.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I'm not hungry." I lied.

"Then why'd you eat the apple yesterday?" He pestered. I had no reply. He continued asking questions. "And why are there cuts on your face?"

"I tripped."

"And you broke the fall with your _face_?"

"Yes." I said in all seriousness. He took my answer without any more questions; and for that, I was grateful.

**Okay, I've gotten in a routine to update my stories more frequently so you shouldn't have to wait long for the next chapter. Sorry this was a short one, but please review anyway!**


	4. Chapter 4

It was finally time for seventh period, my favorite period of the day. We watched a Bill Nye video (he's still amazing even if he isn't really a scientist). All I did was doodle at the back desk. As soon as the lights turned on, my eyes readjusted and looked to the front of the class at Ms. Ammon. She had been talking about something but I only caught the end of it.

". . . 22 and answer questions 1 through 8. Remember to read the chapter." As soon as she finished, the bell rang. Everyone was out of the room.

"Ms. Ammon, it's Tuesday. Is it alright if I just hang around here for a while?" Jeb _always_ worked late on Tuesdays. Even when he got off early, he got home around seven.

"Sure Max." She erased the white board and started closing the blinds on the windows. "So Max, what did you do yesterday to make Jeb hurt you?"

"I tried to open my wings while he was getting ready and he saw them."

"Max! You know that that's what Tuesdays are for."

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to see if I could do it myself, without your help."

"What am I going to do with you?" She sighed. "Alright, you know the drill." I know it may sound weird, but I had to take off my shirt for her to be able to get to my wings. Don't worry, I still had a bra on.

"Max . . . what's that?" She pointed to the huge bruise on my ribcage.

"Umm." I hadn't thought about putting make-up on my stomach, I had forgotten it was Tuesday. She got up and grabbed one of those little towelette things.

"Wipe off all of the make-up you put on." I took the towelette from her and wiped away the cover up from my temple, the scratches on my hairline, and the bruise on my neck in the shape of Jeb's hand. Ms. Ammon gasped. "I thought he just popped your shoulder out of its socket!"

"Yeah. In the morning. But I had gotten home two minutes late so he basically threw a fit. I was able to fix my broken ribs with my power but since noses are cartilage, I just had to do the best I could with my hands. I'll have to re-break it later, but that's no big deal."

"Max, that _is_ a big deal! He tried to _suffocate_ you! To kill you!"

"No. He wouldn't kill me, I know that for sure. You see, if he killed me, he wouldn't be able to abuse me and he wouldn't feel fulfilled." I explained. "He was just trying to knock me out but I bit his hand so he just smashed my head down on the coffee table."

"_Just? _Max, you really should –"

"Tell someone. Yeah, I know. But once again, I'm not going to and I'm asking you to keep my secret. You're the only person I can trust. Now, can you please help me with my wings?"

"Yes." I turned my chair so the back was to my right, and then put my head down on the desk. She gingerly placed her hands on my left wings and started to extend it while I tried to open it, to get muscle memory. I groaned as it was fully extended and Ms. Ammon set it on the desk next to me (they were only single desks even though most science classrooms had lab tables. The lab tables were on the outside edge of the room.). She did the same with my right. Once they were both extended, I tried to stretch them, like how you would stretch when you wake up. I was successful. I saw my feathers slowly spreading apart and my wings lifting off the desks by about an inch before they fell back down. It was amazing.

I felt Ms. Ammon's fingers along the edge of my spine as I admired my wings.

"I know I've said it every time before but I'm still amazed at how you were . . . created? Is that the right word to use?"

"I don't know." I said truthfully.

"It's just, it's like your back isn't rounded, it's-"

"Concave-like. And my bones are thinner, and I have air sacs. We've been through this." I sounded exasperated. It wasn't my fault though; we went through this every week. Ms. Ammon just laughed.

"You're not excited because you're not a scientist, but to me . . . this is incredible. You're proof that anything is possible."

"Well actually," I pointed out, "not _everything_ is possible. You should've seen some of the other experiments. There was this spider-fly thing, it trapped itself in its own web and killed itself. There was the cat-mouse which gnawed its own leg off, got gang green, and died. And then there was another one, a one year old boy who had vampire bat DNA thrown into his system. He wouldn't eat food, he wouldn't drink blood, nothing. He would only drink this horrible orange stuff they'd give us. They stopped feeding him and he had some sort of weird reaction. He laid on his back as if he were frozen and started coughing up blood. He wasn't able to move, so he just choked and the drowned."

Ms. Ammon's excitement faded away and she stood up. "I'm gonna head to the bathroom."

"Alright, I'm gonna head home then. I have a bit of homework to do, as well as feed Jeb and do some cleaning. I mean, it's a little past three." I shrugged and attempted to pull my wings in. I got halfway before Ms. Ammon had to help me. I threw my shirt back on before grabbing my books.

We both stepped out of her room and she went left to the bathrooms as I headed right for the door. The door had just shut behind me when I heard someone shout my name. I turned and saw Fang, jogging up toward me. _What was he still doing at school? It had been over for a little over an hour._ I just rolled my eyes and kept walking. As soon as he caught up with me I asked him, "How do you know my name?"

"I heard Ms. Ammon say it yesterday when she was signing my schedule."

"Stalker." I muttered. We were already off school grounds, it wasn't a big school to begin with. He just stayed silent, like he was contemplating what he was going to say, until we were halfway to my house. I couldn't let him know where I actually lived.

"I know your secret." He said it casually but it sent chills up my spine. I took in a shaky breath before asking, "What do you mean?"

"I saw you after school in Ms. Ammon's class." I didn't like where he was going with the conversation. "She left the window on the door uncovered." I tried to change the subject.

"You know, you talk more than I thought you would."

"Stop trying to change the subject." He told me. _Crap._ We were walking past my house, well, _Jeb's_ house. It was _my_ personal Hell. He looked up at the mansion. "I've always wanted to live there." He said. I just shrugged my shoulders, "Eh."

"What? You don't like it?"

"It's nothing like my home. Warm, cozy, that's what I like." I thought of where we used to live, a moderate sized cabin in the woods. A place where Jeb's wife would make cookies, where we'd have a campfire every night, where warm hugs and laughter filled the air and I was safe. **(Read author's note!)**

"Where do you live anyway?" And he told _me_ not to change the subject.

"Umm, a little further. Like this left up here then walk four more blocks, the second right, and then it's at the end of the main street." I gave him the directions to Ms. Ammon's house (she had given _me_ directions in case things got too bad with Jeb).

"Well, I have to turn here. Don't think I've let you off the hook." I think that was his way of saying goodbye because he just walked the other way. I continued walking in the direction I had to, to "get home", until I couldn't see him anymore. That's when I turned around and walked back toward his dream home. _So what did he know about me? Did he know about the wings? About Jeb being my real father? Maybe he saw my bruises?_ That last thought disturbed me. If he had seen my bruises, then he would've seen me without a shirt on. Either way, I knew I had to add an extra thing on my list of things to do: come up with a different life.

**Okay. I'm mentioning this in all three of my stories. Usually when I put an author's note, it means that I need to correct myself on something that happened in the story; so it's important most of the time. So please read them. Also, I'm going to start putting a song of the day which is basically whatever song I'm thinking of when I post this. It's just to let you hear the music I like as well as get _you_ new music if you like it. Anyway, thanks for putting up with me and waiting. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review! Thanks!**

**Song of the day: Paris is Burning by St. Vincent**


	5. Chapter 5

I started up dinner when I got home which took an hour to put together and start cooking. Then it also needed another two hours to cook, by which time Jeb would be home. I decided to do Ms. Ammon's work first, before I forgot the assignment. So I flipped open to page 22 and answered the required questions. It was pretty hard even though I _did_ read the chapter first. I don't remember going over any of this but if she wants us to do it, then she must have reason.

I worked on history homework next, we were learning about the middle ages with knights in shining armor. Yeah, right. Like _they've_ ever existed. I just had to find all 73 vocabulary words and write down the full definition for each one by tomorrow. Ugh. I worked all the way to forty at the counter before the timer went off. I closed my book and threw all of my stuff in my bag before taking care of Jeb's meal. I set it atop the stove and then ran to the laundry room to open the secret door. I threw my bag inside without care and ran back upstairs to the kitchen.

I had just barely finished fixing his plate when he burst through the front door. He took his seat at the counter and waved me over to give him the plate. He angrily cut through the chicken and shoveled it into his mouth.

"Bad day at work?" I asked him. He just nodded his head and continued eating. Within four minutes, his plate was clean. "So what happened?" I was being nice only because I knew that on some nights, if I were nice to him, I wouldn't get a beating.

"Some _idiot_ decided to mess with my vials of DNA! I was getting ready to begin my new experiment and I grabbed the wrong tube! Apparently, they reorganized them in order of size when _I _had them in alphabetical order! The _nerve_ of some people!" I nodded my head in understanding and cleaned up dinner. "I'm going upstairs to finish up some reports." He stormed off and I smiled in relief. If he was going to work, he wouldn't be back down.

When I was done cleaning, I grabbed my backpack and climbed up the steep stairs that lead to my room. I sat down on the edge of my mattress, with the springs and fluff inside popping out from the many tears on the surface, and finished my history work. I got in my pajamas and thought about who I would be. What would happen if Fang went to my "house"? Ms. Ammon would open the door. Maybe she could be my aunt. But then, what happened to my parents? They abused me (which isn't a _complete_ lie) and child services took me away. That works pretty well; now when he sees the cuts, he'll just think they're from the past. Hopefully. I thought that was enough for now so I pulled my blanket up to my chin, which caused my feet to show, so I curled up. This blanket was so old and now, it disintegrated if you rubbed it between your fingers. But I eventually drifted off and welcomed the rest.

The morning was like any other and as I walked to school, I kept repeating my "story" in my head. I'd have to tell Ms. Ammon that she was now my aunt. The school day went by slowly. It felt like eight hours before it was even lunch. I was able to sneak a bit of Jeb's dinner last night and wrap it in plastic for my lunch. So I started nibbling on the chicken as my stomach growled, before Fang stormed over and sat across from me.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"Tell me what's going on with you. I know you're hiding something."

"Ummmmm, maybe I don't want to."

"Is she _forcing_ you to keep it a secret?" He asked. _What? She?_

"Now I'm not even sure what you're talking about."

"Ms. Ammon. Is she sexually abusing you?" I started choking on my chicken and shook my head violently. I coughed it up and threw it three feet into the trashcan. "I _know_ she is."

"No, she's not, I'm being completely honest. Besides, why would you even _think_ that?"

"I might've seen you taking off your shirt yesterday in her classroom."

"You _what?_" Now I just felt like my privacy had been invaded.

"I looked away as soon as I realized what you were doing," he defended, "it was only at your belly button. I was gonna go back in to ask her some questions when I saw that."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but she's not abusing me, she's helping me through some things and she's actually my aunt. And if she were abusing me, why didn't you come in to help?" Now I was putting the blame back on him, as long as it moved the subject away from me.

"I don't know." He said quietly. "I really don't know."

I walked home without Fang and made sure he wasn't in view when I opened the gate. I had told Ms. Ammon about what was going on when I handed in my homework at the end of class. Apparently she had assigned page 122, one through eight but since I did the work, she'd still give me credit. I had _no_ homework tonight, which meant that I was free to do almost anything I wanted. Of course, it'd have to be after I make Jeb's dinner and make sure he's comfortable, and it'd have to be in my dreary room.

So after Jeb was suited, I snuck up to my room (he didn't know where I slept) and just sat there and sang to myself. I'm not a great singer, I know that, but it beats the silence any day. The first song I started to hum was a lullaby that Jeb's wife used to sing to me when she tucked me in. I couldn't remember the words, it was something about a bird and a ring, but I loved the tune of it. Since she died, I don't think I've heard a real song. I fell asleep early, as I hummed all of the tunes I could remember, with a smile from the memories on my face.

**So, short chapter, sorry. I'm kind of rushing today. Tell me what you think! Reviews make me wanna update sooner! I know the characters are a little not like themselves but oh well. There is one story that's really good that you should read. It's called Secrets and Sacrifices and it's by MillieKittan. It's amaaaaazzzziiinnnnnngggg and I only on chapter 8. Also, some really good book series are the Hunger Games, and the Mortal instruments series (City of Glass, City of bones . . . those books). So I hope you liked this little bit of my story and I'll try to update soon!**

**Song of the day: Finding Beauty by Escala**


	6. Chapter 6

I've always loved, yet hated Thursday s. It let me look forward to Friday but it's also when Jeb is at his most violent. I got ready for school as I always do, and _went_ to school as I always do. The classes passed quickly and I hated it. The sooner I'd be home. I sat alone at lunch, Fang didn't bother me; he didn't even glance my way. For being so persistent, he sure is backing off quickly. I was able to scrounge up a dollar in quarters and nickels from the past few weeks and put it toward a cinnamon danish from the vending machines. But I was hungry by seventh period.

Fang was staring back and forth between Ms. Ammon and me, probably trying to see any family resemblance. He wouldn't find anything similar between us except maybe our eye color. She was on the shorter side, I was tall. She was plump, I was extremely thin (mostly from hunger). She had black hair, mine was light brown. And the biggest part . . . she could never pull off sarcasm.

The end-of-the-day bell rang and I hurried home. I was able to beat Jeb to the house and was able to start my chores. I began with the laundry. When I finished putting the whites into the washing machine, I headed back upstairs. I was caught off guard when he punched me in the jaw.

"You know to start my dinner first!"

"Yes, sir. I was trying to get a head start on the laundry. I'll start your dinner now." I said hurriedly.

"I never wanted a daughter you know." He continued conversationally as I made his dinner.

"But, you created me."

"You think I intended to _keep _you? I don't want you here! You're like my stress release system. I only keep you for that, and because I promised my Beth that I would keep you alive."

"But you've almost killed me multiple times!" I protested.

"Name one." He snarled.

"Huh, let's see. . . how about a few days ago when you smashed my head against that table?" I pointed at the marble coffee table, clean and sparkling; no evidence of the event.

"I don't like backtalk." He told me angrily. "Name another time. Come on. _Do it!_"

I decided to wind him up more. I was prepared or what he had coming for me and it helped me vent my own anger as well. "When Beth first died, you thought you should take out your distress on me." He winced as I said her name, the one person he loved. I lifted up my shirt to my third rib from the bottom, revealing a long scar that traveled from my waist to my belly button. "You remember this? You _should!_" My voice was rising and Jeb was shaking from rage. "You cut me with a pair of scissors. You grabbed them right out of my hands while I was making flowers to put on her grave." The last word sent him into a parade of anger.

He lunged over the countertop and tackled me to the ground, pinning me. He had one knee on each on my shoulders, making able to reach up and grab the pot of boiling water off the stove. After he had it in his grasp, he jumped off me in a split second and poured it in my arms, chest, and face. I screamed in agony but got up to face him with my skin blistering. "Or how about the time I accidently started a fire and you left me to the flames? I never got burned but I inhaled plenty of smoke!"

He raked his disgusting finger nails down my face and before he could pull away, I grabbed his wrists and began to bend them backwards. I heard and felt one snap, his left. But he was able to loosen my grip on his right and punched my nose. It broke, again.

The next few hours went by and at some point, I ended up back in my room. I completely stripped down because of the burns. What really sucked was that while I was blistering, my clothes became stuck to my skin. I had to rip off a few layers just to be able to _begin_ to fix myself. I walked into the cramped bathroom that adjoined the attic and looked at my face in the mirror. Bloody, red, nose at an odd angle, mouth bleeding, lip swollen, left eye already becoming black. Jeb had once again tried to strangle me, leaving only one more handprint on my neck since the other was a goner.

I set my nose back in place. I got a cold wash cloth and carefully dabbed away the blood. Any movement hurt as my skin shifted and cracked. Like being sunburned. I splashed water into my mouth, swishing and gurgling to remove the blood. I decided to go to sleep without any clothes on. It was just me up here after all. I couldn't lay on my back or stomach so I sat, cross-legged, and leaned the side of my head against the wall. I was actually able to get a few hours of sleep throughout the night which was more than I was expecting.

My skin was amazingly better in the morning because, like I've said, I heal pretty fast. I was still in no condition to go to school so I told Jeb. "If you want to keep this a secret, I can't go to school because people are all ready becoming suspicious." He didn't hit me, he didn't yell at me. Instead, he agreed on letting me stay home.

"But if you come out of your room," he warned, "I'll know." He pointed to the cameras before leaving and locking up the house. I headed back to my room and sat on the edge of my "bed". I opened my wings and let them hang limp. Anger quickly fueled up inside of me. _How could he do this to me, his own daughter?_ I wanted more than anything to just be able to leave this wretched place, where people's nightmares came true. Before anything worse could happen to me. Images of my past swirled around in my brain and I twisted around to punch the wall. It cracked and crumbled a little, leaving a hole so small that I wouldn't have been able to tell it was there except for that face that there was a little stream of light filtering in.

_Hello sweet escape_, I thought.

**Wow, sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been busy with FCAT and learning from my driver's book so I can get my permit. Also, my computer got a horrible viirus and was in the shop for a while. When I finally got it back, everything was gone. Everything I've ever written, saved, played, added to my favorites. And I know this chapter is short. I didn't want you guys thinking I was abandoning my stories so I threw this chapter out before I went to bed. I hope it's at least decent. Please review! Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

I had continued to punch and pull at the opening in the wall until my hands bled. It must've only been that one weak spot. I sat on the edge of my mattress and held my head in my hands. _Why do _I _have to go through this? I thought I was out for good. But it seems that my tests never end. It's one after another. And it's always going to be that way…_

Why was I so scared of Jeb? I was never scared of the Whitecoats. Well… yes I was, but I never _acted_ like I was. I usually made their job pretty hard, I'm proud to say. Once, the Whitecoats were looking at my teeth to see if they were shaped, or grew differently. I bit down on one guy's hand so hard that he actually bled. It earned me a slap across the face but I didn't care, he deserved it. I was only eight then. Another time, before I was eight, the Whitecoats didn't see me as the _slightest_ threat. They sat me down to take some more blood, and give me some kind of drug that boosted my adrenaline. And let me tell you, it _boosted_. I took all five of the whitecoats out. They strapped me down since that point in time.

Until… Jeb betrayed his fellow Whitecoats and helped me escape the School when I was twelve. We lived happily – Jeb, Beth, and I. We played outside, baked cookies, watched movies. We were a picturesque family, until Beth died a year later. Jeb had been so upset after her funeral – he couldn't come to terms with her death. I loved her and her death bothered me, but I had seen so many painful looking deaths at the school that her death seemed like a blessing that it didn't hurt her. But Jeb saw it as a curse, as God's way of paying him back for the years that he didn't help me. He began to distance himself from the world, and he began to isolate me as well. I wanted to go out and buy flowers for Beth's grave. He wouldn't even listen to me. So I decided to make some out of brightly colored tissue paper. He walked in and began to argue with me. He tried grabbing the bouquet but I fought for it. I clutched it with both hands, my right hand being at a miniscule disadvantage because I was still holding the scissors. He hadn't meant to stab me… he fixed me up, scared that he had done that. But the grief caught back up to him and his anger came out toward me.

"Well you deserved it!" he said a few hours later. "It's your fault for not giving me the fucking bouquet when you were supposed to!"

It was the first time he ever cussed in front of me and it made it worse that he was doing it _at_ me. It was also the first time he had hurt me.

I rinsed my hands of in the sink as I noticed – for the hundredth time – that the floorboards looked rotted, that the walls were at the slightest angle like they were sinking toward the floor and you could see the crack where it's supposed to meet the ceiling, and that there was mold growing in the cracks of everything. The faucet and handle of the sink were rusted, and the toilet lid was off center by an inch when it was down. There wasn't any color up here, except for the mold that would sometimes be green.

I'm surprised that I haven't gone crazy yet . . . at least, I don't _think_ I have. No windows, gray as my only color most of the time. Either gray, or marble and cream. I had no air-conditioning up here either, so I guess that makes it better that I have no window so the sun can't shine in. I opened and closed my wings for a while, until I could do it smoothly and really get a feel for it. That actually took up a few hours. I thought about picking at the wall again, but there were already pieces way below me that had landed on the pool deck. It'll be a miracle if Jeb doesn't see it. As soon as it rains, the evidence of my escaping will disappear. As long as he doesn't go back there until that point, I'm safe.

If you look at the house from outside the gate, you see the three main floors and on the very right, is the tower, which is two floors higher, and also where I live. Jeb has never figured out how to get up here, he never put cameras in the hallway that leads to the laundry room or _in_ the laundry room for that matter. That's what makes it my safe haven.

* * *

I have a speaker in my room that alerts me when the gate opens and when the door opens. It was here when we moved here so I assumed this was the past maid's room - ironic. I heard Jeb when he got back and was able to open the door as he walked up the steps. I left to start dinner.

"Max."

"Yeah?" I turned and looked at him, awaiting an attack to come at any second.

"How was your day?" He squinted his eyes at me.

"Fine." It sounded more like a question.

"What do you even do when I'm gone? Where do you go?"

"I stay in my room the whole time sir."

"You don't think of any kind of way to escape?" The corner of his mouth tilted upward and my breath caught. _He couldn't know, could he?_ That's when I realized that I had to answer his question honestly. He knew that this was hell for me and that I _had_ thought of ways.

"I have sir. I've thought of many ways. But I realized that none of them would have worked."

"Any new ones you're hatching up?"

"No sir." I lied.

"Get to making my dinner."

"Yes, sir." I replied.

* * *

I fell on to my bed that night, exhausted though I had done virtually nothing that day. It really seemed like Jeb had known I was trying to escape. _Escape._ The one word brought my mind back to alert and I looked back at the wall. Jeb was already in bed, now was my chance. He wouldn't think I'd be stupid enough to try and leave after he brought it up which made it the perfect time to attempt. I couldn't be stupid and rush things though, if one chunk of wall, that was the size of a marble fell, the alarm would go off and Jeb would find me…

The hole was large enough for me to slide my hand through. I grabbed the edge, and yanked it back toward myself. I worked on it for a while. It was one in the morning when I finally had a hole large enough for me to fit through. That's when I realized . . . I hadn't flown in a long time. I _really_ didn't think _this_ one through. If I stayed, he'd see the hole. If I tried to fly, I could fall to my death or serious injury.

"Damn!" I slammed my fist against the wall as I looked into the open sky and the wall began to crumble, dropping one small piece down on to the ground below.

**So... I know that the people who have been reading my stories are mad at me for not uploading for so long. I'm really sorry about that. My computer broke and got fixed, and then my dad took it to Orlando with him. That happened over most of the summer. My dad got me a new computer cause the other one wasn't worth all the money and I realized that I had lost my flash drive and all of my stories were gone because he had wiped my other computer clean. I finally started to write again when my mom comes into my room and reminds me that school starts the next day... _But_ I'm used to everything now so I definitely should be writing more :) And to the people that are reading my story for the first time and are actually reading this note, I hope you like the story so far! More to come soon. And a WARNING to all: this story is about to get alot worse and pretty detailed so if you are very faint-hearted or judgemental (I don't wanna be judged), I would stop reading soon.**

**Song of the day: Sail by AWOLNATION**


	8. Chapter 8

The alarms were deafeningly loud. I stood in shock as more drywall fell on to the pathway. How could I have been so _stupid_ to have done that? I had had it. I _had _my chance to escape, and I ruined it. I saw Jeb run out and pause when the wall crunched under his feet. He followed his gaze upward to see me, standing in the opening. He gave one slight shake of his head and continued around to the side of the house to meet with the cops. I spread my wings to take flight, but I didn't have the guts to jump. So I sat on the edge and cried . . . pathetic. I heard their voices though Jeb had gone to the front gate. Along with sight, I have amazing hearing if people were twenty feet away and whispering, I would hear them.

"Mr. Bachelder, is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine. I forgot to turn the alarms off before I came out."

"Alright. Have a good night then." I heard their footsteps recede and all I could think was, _aren't you the least bit curious as to what he was doing at one in the morning?_ But of course they weren't, Jeb had everyone believing his story, even though it had major holes in it.

I heard the buzzer in my room go off as I heard Jeb open the front door. He knew where I was now; he'd be here any minute. So I waited for the storm to come. I heard Jeb getting closer to the hatch. Three steps, two steps, one step – and the hatch flew open. Jeb shook with anger and sauntered toward me. He didn't hit me though. He stood me up and grasped my arm.

"What're you doing with me?" I sounded young and scared.

"I'm showing you to your new room…" he smiled, and my stomach seemed to drop further than the drywall.

* * *

Jeb had cuffed my wrists so close together that my shoulder blades almost hurt. He held me with his left hand while his right opened the door to the basement. The light from the living room hit the first few steps before it turned in to a wall of black. I heard Jeb pull out his cutting knife. There was no denying the sleek sound as he pulled it out of the sheath. Jeb stabbed it in at the base of my neck – not deep enough to cause spinal damage but enough to leave some serious scars – and dragged it down; and then he sliced in between where my wings started. Then he just pushed me forward.

I tumbled and tripped down the stairs, unable to stop myself with my hands. So I opened my wings – it was easy since the back of my shirt was cut open now. Unfortunately, I was too close to the wall and my wing was pulled behind me. I fell the last few steps before my head slammed against the cold stone floor.

* * *

When I woke up, I realized that I couldn't _see_ that I was awake. The only evidence was that I was thinking actively. There wasn't even light coming in through underneath the door at the head of the stairs. I went to push my self up and my hand fell through a grate beneath me. Lovely. I was in the very corner of the room. I walked straight forward from where I was at, and a chain pulled me up short. _How long was I out?_ I reached toward my back and felt the shirt shredded down the middle. Blood was still oozing out of my cut so I was probably out for a few minutes – just enough time for Jeb to chain me in. I took my ruined shirt and bra off and balled them up to soak up the extra blood and put pressure along the cut. They didn't have any _other _use. I sat down and leant back against the shirt-wad. A chill went through me so I wrapped my uninjured wing around my torso. It stretched the skin on my back just enough to re-open some of the spots that were healing over.

Once the blood stopped flowing, I tossed my shirt aside and stood up to see just how big my living space was. I placed my left hand against the wall and walked straight forward. When the chain stopped me, I lent forward with my hand and felt the first step of the stairs. I turned at a ninety degree angle to the right and walked in the wide arc that the chain allowed me to go. It brought me to the opposite corner of the stairs. I turned another 45 degrees to the right – since I was facing the corner – and walked back to where my chain started. _My_ chain! It's sad that I can say it so casually. I laid down next to the grate, with my back against the wall. My left wing was throbbing and my right wing hung around my arms and me. I had drawn them up to my chest to try and get the _least _bit of warmth. If I had to try and guess, I'd say that I woke up around one thirty and it was now around two.

I had finally dozed off when the sound of rushing water echoed around the basement. About a minute later, Jeb opened the door at the top of the stairs. The light was almost too much to handle and I had to squint. But I could tell that the dark figure standing above me was Jeb. His posture gave it away.

"What do you want?" I snapped at him.

"Is that any way to talk to company?" He asked. All I could do was glare. "Any way, I came to let you know that the sound you just heard was your bathroom. It's on a timer and goes off every four hours. I always felt like the best way to pass time is to count."

"What time is it now?" I glanced back at the grate – my _toilet_. When I went to look back at Jeb, my eye caught a door. It was in the corner that my chain wouldn't let me reach.

"Four in the morning." He informed.

"What's that door over there for?" The answer he gave me was a slamming door, letting me be consumed in darkness.

**Um, hi. I know I'm slacking and I'm sorry. I just have so many ideas that are all mushing together in my mind and I'm trying to figure out what's necessary, and what's not, for the story. I have three stories, which doesn't help with the confusuion. If you haven't read them yet and you like this story, then go check 'em out! Thank you and review please!**

**Song of the day: Sail by AWOLNATION**


	9. Chapter 9

_Two . . . Three . . . Four . . . Five. _

It was eight at night, on Saturday. I hadn't had any food. On cue, the door opened and Jeb threw down a mini water bottle and two pieces of bread. Only one of the pieces made it down to me. The other was just out of reach.

* * *

_Six . . . One . . . Two . . . Three . . . Four . . . Five . . ._

Jeb opened the door to give me my food. Both pieces of bread made it down to me this time. He stopped before closing the door to let me know that I was still going to be going to school tomorrow.

* * *

In the morning, I realized I felt too weak to even stand up. So when Jeb came to get me, I couldn't have fought. He handcuffed me, before letting me off my chain, and dragged my half-naked body up the stairs. While I stumbled along-side him, he informed me that the bathroom in which I got ready was inescapable. When we stepped inside, I saw that he wasn't joking. He opened the shower door, uncuffed me, shoved me inside, and locked the deadbolt that was on the outside of the shower. As he walked out, he slammed his fist into a button on the wall. The water in the shower shot out, soaking me, and the jeans I still had on.

* * *

School was loud. I guess being in a silent room for two days straight will do that to you. It was weird to hear so many peoples' voices. I didn't want to talk, just listen. I could talk to myself all I wanted when I got back home. I saw Fang in the hallways. He looked at me curiously but I just held my head up and ignored him. He didn't need to know that I'm a starving, winged, mutant freak. I didn't have money for a vending machine; I wasn't able to sneak anything from Jeb's fridge. He let me walk to school by myself and made sure to let me know that he could track me on his phone – I had a microchip in my forearm apparently, and I wasn't surprised. He probably had a layout of our town on his phone. He could probably see me walking through building two. He could probably see a glowing green dot get knocked to the side because someone's backpack nudged her as they turned.

You could see that I was weak. _I _could see that I was weak. My arms and legs were already getting thinner, like my skin was getting sucked in toward the bone. It was awful. By the time lunch came around, I was practically drooling by everyone's full trays. _Man, _I thought to myself, _you've _got_ to be hungry when _school_ food starts smelling good._ I pushed the thought away and pulled out my homework since I didn't get any done over the weekend.

Out of my peripheral vision, I saw a dark figure sit down with two trays.

"I thought you left me alone."

"Just because I didn't talk to you doesn't mean I haven't been observing you." Fang said.

"You sound like a freaking" _whitecoat_ "scientist. And what do you mean _observing_ me?"

"I don't know, you interest me. And science _is_ my favorite subject." He winked, implying that it science interested him because it was the only class we had together. I scoffed and rolled my eyes, then continued to work on my algebra homework.

"Right there." Fang said. "_That's_ why you interest me. Most girls would be flirting back but you, you push me away."

"I push everyone away." I tell him.

"Why are you acting like you have this huge secret?"

I continued to work on one of my equations and I couldn't help but have a small smile form on my lips. "Because I do."

"You wanna tell me?" He questioned. I laughed.

"Why would I want to tell _you_?" He snatched my paper away and pushed his second tray at me before I even realized that the paper was gone. I stared at him with my eyebrows drawn together. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I know something's up, even if you won't tell me." I looked down at the tray of food. It smelt so good. But if I ate, Jeb would know, and he would know someone's helping me. So I pushed the tray back at him.

"Thanks, but I can't eat this."

"You're just too prideful to accept my help." He accused.

"It's not that," I said, "I just don't want to have you dragged in to my problems."

"No, I'm pretty sure you have too much pride."

"I do not!" I was getting offended. He leant forward.

"Then prove it." He challenged. At that moment, I didn't care about Fang's safety. I ripped the plastic fork bag open and pulled the tray back toward myself. I started scooping up mac n' cheese, green beans, and mashed potatoes. By the time I was finished, I felt ready to vomit. I hadn't eaten that much, in one sitting, for years.

"Happy?" I asked snidely. Fang smirked at me and I realized that I had done exactly what he wanted me to. I ate the food.

"Yes."

**So what'd you think? Please review! It makes me super happy!**

**Song of the day: A Thousand Years by Christina Perri**


	10. Chapter 10

I was so angry with Fang that I grabbed my paper back from him and shoved it inside my math book, swung my bag over my shoulder, and stormed out of the cafeteria. I didn't know where I was going. I ended up sitting on the floor in the large stall to try and finish my math. That's when my stomach started to disagree with all the food I ate. I crawled over to the toilet and threw up.

When I was done, I used the edge of the seat to stand up. I dragged myself in front of the sink and mirror. I looked awful. My eyes were tired, my skin had a greenish tone, and my hair was loosing its life. My windbreaker hid my injured wing. I tried to fix it, but the injury was a strained muscle, not bone. So as far as I know, it's gonna stay bent at this odd angle.

Lunch was almost over so I grabbed my bag. Out in the hallway, I rinsed my mouth out at the water fountain and then headed across the campus to get to math.

* * *

I didn't finish my homework for math. He could tell that the few problems that were actually finished were rushed.

"I'm sorry." I told him. "I couldn't find the time to get it done this weekend."

"Let me guess," he said in front of the _entire_ class, "you were hanging out with friends, you went to a party, or wait – you were too busy kissing a boy. I know how you teenage girls are."

"Actually no, I wasn't doing any of those things." _I was locked in a dungeon with no food or water._ "I guess I just lost track of time."

"Well, you're getting a zero for this assignment."

* * *

"Ms. Ammon, do you have any crackers?" The bell had rung and students left eagerly, probably ready to take an afternoon nap – hooray for them.

"Of course!" she pulled a half-empty bag of saltine crackers and handed them to me. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, I just didn't get to eat very much over the weekend."

* * *

I ate most of the crackers on the way home and threw them in the street before entering the code for the gate. _What am I supposed to _do _when I get inside? Do my chores and homework, or do I chain myself back in the dungeon? _Jeb helped me out there. As soon as I walked in the door, he wrapped his arm around my neck and cut off my oxygen until I passed out.

* * *

I have to admit that waking up in darkness is better than bright morning light. The downside to this was that I was chained to the wall again. I wasn't completely sure of what time it was, until I heard the water rushing beneath me. I guessed it was around four. I usually get home around three, fifteen minutes after school ends. So I only had to wait four more hours to eat.

When Jeb opened the door at eight, only the mini-water bottle made it down to me. I guess it was a good thing that I ate those crackers earlier.

* * *

Everyday of the week was practically the same. Jeb dragged me upstairs to shower, I'd get dressed with clothes that were stored under the sink, he'd activate my chip, and I'd walk to school. Fang continued to sit with me at lunch, but I stayed quiet. I didn't take the food he offered me, and I ignored him when he spoke. I wanted him to leave. On Thursday, in seventh period, I was shaking so badly from not eating. I saw Fang look in my direction, so I acted like I was cold. He couldn't have believed me, though – it was almost eighty degrees in here.

* * *

On Friday, Fang continued to nag me so I would eat.

"Just eat it." He sighed.

"I don't need it," I reassured him, "I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Have you _seen_ yourself lately?"

"_Yes._" But the truth was _no, _I hadn't.

"Oh, so you can see that your face is hollow, your hair is limp, and you look like a walking twig."

"Do I really?" I asked sincerely. I could see myself again, standing in front of the large-stall's mirror, and multiplied it by three.

"Yes," he sighed, "and it's scaring me. Nobody should look like you do right now. Whatever you're doing, you need to stop."

"_I'm _not doing anything!" I protested.

"Then who _is_?" He asked. I didn't answer him.

**Please review guys! And if you wanna ask me something - even non-story related - go ahead and inbox me! Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**There will be an author's note! PLEASE READ! Especially you, TMI!**

The weekend passed dreadfully slow. When it was four, on Monday morning, I prepared myself to get hauled up by Jeb. But the door didn't open until it was time for dinner.

"Why didn't I go to school?" I asked.

"I called you out sick for the week. I have a . . . surprise." He threw down a sandwich in a plastic baggy. "You're gonna need a little more strength."

"Oh look," I said snidely, "you remembered to put in the _middle_ this time." I held the bag up in the light. There was a piece of cheese and a thin slice of ham in between the bread. "Is the surprise good, or bad?" I was hoping he'd just let me go.

"You'll see." He said vaguely. It was gonna be bad, _definitely_ bad.

* * *

**Fang POV**

It was _freezing_ on Monday. It _was_ the last week of school before Christmas break. I rushed to meet up with my best friend, Iggy.

"You haven't seen Max around, have you?" I asked him.

"You mean that _girl_ that you ditch me for at lunch?"

"Iggy, I'm serious." I sighed.

"No, I haven't. Why?"

**"**I found out where she lives."

"What?" he exclaimed. "How? Isn't there a rumor going around that she's an orphan and lives on the streets?"

"Yeah, but it's a _rumor_, Iggy. Anyway, you know that giant house that looks like it's made of pure marble?"

"Yeah," Iggy said, "what about it?" I looked at him poignantly, and he understood. "She lives _there?_ How do you know?"

"I saw her walk _though_ the gate, she knew the code. She looked around before entering, to make sure no one saw her. She didn't see me." The bell rang for first period and Iggy and I started to walk away from each other.

"Ask her for a tour sometime!" he called over his shoulder.

* * *

"Why do you even like _Max_?" Iggy asked at lunch. "There are so many other girls that actually _like_ you!"

"No," I pointed out, "they _want_ me. It's completely different."

"That's even better! Now you don't have to worry about a long relationship!"

"Ig, seriously."

"Fine, but why _do _you like her?"

"I don't know, man." I sighed. "She's just . . . she's just so different. Plus, she has a _huge_ secret."

"What, like her parents are getting divorced?" He joked.

"No, Iggy. Something serious. I just don't know what it is yet."

* * *

I thought about Max throughout seventh period. Not really her, but her secret. She told me she lived somewhere in the neighborhood, but I saw her walking in to the mansion. So . . . where _did_ she live? She never had food at lunch, but she _would_ eat if food was presented to her. Except, she's been getting so thin. So she must not be eating at home. _But, _if Ms. Ammon were _really_ her aunt, she wouldn't let Max starve if she was supposed to be helping her. Which _meant_ that she knew her secret. I couldn't just ask her though. Or maybe I could. I wouldn't loose anything if she _didn't_ tell me.

* * *

"Ms. Ammon? Can I ask you a question?"

She was shuffling through papers. "Uh, yeah, sure. Just let me find my pen." She continued looking in drawers and under papers. "Did you not understand class today?"

"Um, no. Actually, I wanted to ask you a question about Max." She looked up, shocked, before clearing her throat.

"What about her? She's one of my best students."

"I know that you know about her secret."

"You know her secret?" She seemed panicked. "You can't tell _anyone_, do you understand me? They'd send her back."

"Send her back where?" I asked.

"You _don't_ know her secret?" She seemed a little calmer.

"No, but I know she has one. She won't tell me what it is though. All I know is that she's starving. Haven't you noticed?"

"Yes." She whispered. "But she won't let me help her. She's too independent. She doesn't realize that she actually might need help."

* * *

I didn't really get Ms. Ammon to say anything else about Max. Max didn't show the rest of the week and Ms. Ammon and I shared a look. It seemed like she continued to look at Max's seat for the rest of class, worry passing over her face each time.

"Have a happy winter break everyone!" She called, when the bell rang. And I intended to. As soon as I figured out what secret Max was hiding.

**For clarification, Jeb doesn't like Max's wings because his wife loved to see her fly, and it pains him too much to have a reminder of her. Why doesn't he get rid of them, you might ask? Because then the story would end. So, please review! Thanks for reading yet _another_ chapter! IMPORTANT! THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL PROBABLY BE DISTURBING! I HAD TO CHANGE THE RATING OF MY STORY FOR IT! I AM SORRY IF IT CAUSES YOU ANY EMOTIONAL DISTRESS! **

**Song of the Day: Habanera by Kate Nash**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the last chapter being short! I had to stop there so I could give a warning. Please just bear with me for a little bit. So, without further adieu, probably one of my more disturbing chapters.**

**Max POV**

I thought about what my "surprise" could be. Maybe he was going to send me back to the School. Maybe he'd just kill me. Of course, why would I "need my strength" to die. Unless he has a series of torture devices set up for me. I let out a loud sigh. I actually _wanted_ to be at school now, to have Fang pestering me to eat, to have Ms. Ammon talk with me about everything.

The door opened and I saw more than one figure standing at the top of the stairs. Four of the figures began to head down. They were halfway to me when the lone figure closed the door. We were in darkness again.

I didn't know how close they were until they were grabbing me. I kicked and struggled against them. Their hands were like vices, gripped around my wrists and ankles. One hand grabbed the back of my neck. I couldn't move at all. They started to undress me, and I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Shut up!" One of them growled. He must have been pretty young; my age, maybe a year or two older. I didn't shut up though. I continued to scream, hoping someone would hear me. That stopped as soon as they placed the duct tape over my mouth, muffling me. I was topless by that point, and angry tears came to my eyes as they rubbed their grubby hands from my stomach up to my chest. I pulled against them once more, but they were still holding on tight. It was no hope. I stopped moving, hoping it would be over soon.

The problem was, it never seemed to end. One man, who wore this _awful _smelling cologne, was the one who actually raped me. Two of them held me in place; one of the two, would lean down in to my ear and whisper horrible things like "your time's coming soon" or "having fun yet?" I recognized his voice, but I couldn't figure out from where. The young kid, that was about my age, had ripped the duct tape off my mouth and pressed his lips against mine. I kept begging him to stop, but he wouldn't. He was related to the guy who kept talking to me. I knew this because the Whisper Guy kept calling him "son". It was awful. Like, _great father-son bonding idea!_ Creeps. I tried to go to a happy place, a place where I wouldn't be able to feel or hear them. It didn't work.

Eventually, they left. Instead of letting me put my clothes back on, they decided to burn them in the corner I couldn't reach. The one with the cologne had a lighter on him, so I figured that he smoked too. I couldn't see their faces, even _with_ the fire. They purposefully faced away from me the whole time. I felt broken, shocked, and angry all at once. I was a winged mutant, who lost my virginity before I got my first and they were taken by two different people. I'm pretty sure you can relate.

Oh yeah, that's right, you can't.

* * *

**Fang POV**

It was the first day of Christmas break, the 17th. Christmas eve was in one week and I still hadn't gotten anything for _any_ member of my family. There was my cousin, Monique, who loved anything to do with fashion. My mom, she's a vet . . . maybe I could get her a book on cats? Of course, she already has all the animal books possible. My dad . . . I'd rather not talk about him. Iggy's parents were on some kind of trip to Europe, so he and his two younger siblings were staying here for about ten days. Which meant that I had to get _them_ presents too. So I set out to look around in stores, see if anything caught my eye. Both Andrew and Iggy were pyromaniacs, and Angel loved stuffed animals. I just hoped the boys wouldn't blow up her presents this year.

By the end of the day, I had found presents for everyone and still had about sixty bucks left. There was one store left to check. I walked in and a little bell dinged, like in the movies. A young girl rushed out from the back. She had long red hair and perfectly white teeth. She welcomed me in and told me that she could help me with whatever I needed. After a few minutes of looking around, she came and stood next to me.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" she smiled again and that's when I realized how pretty she really was.

"Not really." I smiled back. "Just looking to see if anything catches my attention."

"Well, if you finally figure out why you came here, let me know." She flirted. Then she winked and headed back toward the storage room. I decided I'd give her my number. I walked up to the cash register and grabbed a pen and a sticky note. As soon as I finished jotting it down, I noticed I had been writing on a jewelry case. I saw a small silver ring that had one small peridot embedded in it. It was the birthstone for someone who was born in August; it was almost lime in color. Immediately, I thought of Max. I'm not sure _why_ exactly. I didn't really know her, but it seemed like . . . _her._

"Uh, I think I found something." I called back to her. She walked back out, her eyes gleaming.

"Yes?"

"This ring." I pointed down toward it. "The one with the peridot." Her smile fell a little bit.

"That ring is 55 dollars." You could hear the ice in her voice.

"Perfect." I smiled. I couldn't stop imagining how Max would react once I gave it to her.

"So, who's it for?" she asked conversationally. "Your girlfriend?"

"No girlfriend. It's for my mom." I lied.

"Oh!" her attitude shot back up. "That's sweet." She handed me the little baggy and I paid her.

"My number's on the counter." I told her. Then I walked out of the store.

* * *

**Max POV**

I was pretty sure it was Saturday, a week until Christmas. Jeb's little _goons _had kept "visiting" me all week. They were _disgusting_ people and they didn't deserve to live. I still couldn't recognize Whisper Guy's voice and it bothered me. It also bothered me that I'd be locked in the freaking _basement_ for Christmas. And it _really_ bothered me that I couldn't have a normal life. I was alone and I started to become hysterical. I was laughing until I was _sure_ I'd bust my gut. Then I started talking to myself.

"I think I'm finally going nuts." I muttered to no one. That's when I started bawling. I didn't want to be crazy; I needed every shred of sanity if I was going to get out of here.

* * *

**Fang POV**

Nudge, AKA Monique, showed up at our house on Tuesday night. She would be staying in the guest room until Iggy, Gazzy (Anthony), and Angel showed up on Thursday night. Then the guys would get the guest room, Nudge would share my room (we have one of those slide-out beds), and Angel would share my mom's bed. It'd be crowded, but we'd make do. Personally, I wasn't too thrilled about Nudge staying in my room – but I was more patient with her than anyone else was. And I knew Iggy wouldn't be too happy to stay in the guest room. It used to be my little sister's room. He used to have a thing for her before she went to live with my dad.

My father was a complicated man. He would come home after work, stressed. He didn't want anyone to talk to him. When my mother would offer him dinner or ask him a question, he'd become very angry with her. He also became very controlling and I had to defend our family multiple times. My mom finally kicked him out, but as soon as my sister turned eight, my mom received a letter from him, begging her to let him see his daughter over breaks. She finally let my sister visit him. Each time my sister left, she was more hesitant to come home. My father bought her everything she wanted and seemed to make her forget who had actually loved and cared for her. She was his within a year. My mother was devastated, but I felt betrayed. I would never forgive Ella.

* * *

**Max POV**

"_Twinkle, twinkle, little star that I can't see 'cause I'm locked in herrreeee_

_how I wonder what you are_

_up in the sky where I'm not allowed to fly_

_like you're taunting me, oh why?_

_Twinkle, twinkle, little star, at least you're not a winged genetic freaaaakkkk"_

_._ I gave a small giggle before pushing myself upright. My eyes kept darting around the room to see darkness, darkness, and –oh, wait! – more darkness.

"Okay Max," I said to myself, "you need to get a grip."

"Get a grip on _what?_" I had answered my own command . . . out loud . . . like I was actually two different people. I didn't answer though, so I frantically started clutching on to the stone walls, screaming bloody murder. I was failing with holding on to the walls, so I plopped down and grabbed my chain.

"I've got a grip nowwwww!" I yelled in a somewhat singsong voice. When I didn't answer, I started cracking up, realizing that I hadn't meant it _literally._ I started crying, _again, _feeling like I was unraveling.

"Are you happy now Jeb?" I screeched. "I'm ready to go to the funny farm!" My voice sounded _nothing _like me. It was dry, weak, and overly raspy. I needed to get out _now._

_In due time, Maximum, you will get out. _

Great, now I was hearing voices.

* * *

**Fang POV**

I sat on the edge of my bed, holding the ring I bought for Max. It was so simple, but so beautiful. My phone rang and I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Oh! I'm so glad you didn't give me a fake number." It was the girl from the store, the one with the red hair and pretty smile.

"I gave you my number almost a week ago." My voice drifted off.

"I know. It's just, so many guys have given me fake numbers. I was scared you would be the next one."

"Why would I do something like that to a girl like you?" I asked flirtatiously. I was rewarded with a laugh.

"Aw, you're so sweet."

"Would you tell my mom that?" I joked. She laughed again. "So, have you given your mom her ring yet?".

"No, I'm saving it until Christmas." I eyed the ring I got for Max; I had gotten a different piece of jewelry for my mom.

"Just out of curiosity," she started, "what's your favorite color?"

"Green," I answered truthfully, "of any shade. But my favorite is evergreen."

"Really?" she seemed surprised. "I would have guessed it was black."

"Most people do." I told her. Then I heard a knock at the door. "I have to go, my friends are here. I'll call you later?"

"Yeah!"

"Wait! What's your name?"

"Lissa, and yours?"

"Jonah." It was weird; I hadn't said my real name since my dad left. It felt nice, like my life didn't suck, for once.

* * *

**Max POV**

My life totally sucked. If you don't understand _why_ by now, leave – stop reading this story. I was laying, stomach down, on the first few steps. My ankle was being stretched and I honestly thought it was going to pop out of its socket. But I continued to try and pull myself forward. I cried in pain as my ankle twisted and cracked. I pulled myself forward once more and heard the chain fall to the floor. My ankle had broken and slipped through the shackle. I was free. I scrambled up the rest of the stairs, my ankle throbbing with each step – I would have to fix it later. I pushed the door open and was practically blinded by the light. Jeb stepped into my view and knocked my head sideways, knocking _me_ back out. It's like a bug being caught in a spider web and escaping, only to take one step and be stuck again. Except with a mad scientist and a bird kid, but it's practically the same thing.

* * *

**Fang POV**

"Fang!" Two little kids jumped on me as soon as I opened the door. Iggy smirked at me.

"Finally . . . _you_ get to deal with the twerps." He walked away to greet my mom and Nudge. Angel looked up at me.

"You don't think we're twerps, do you?"

"Of course not." I kissed her head and set her down. She ran off to Nudge and I knelt down to give Gazzy a hug. He pat my back before turning to be with everyone else. I grabbed the back of my shirt to make sure he hadn't stuck anything on it. Even though he can make things explode on a Mythbuster level, he was still only eight and _loved _to pull pranks. With everyone finally here, my mom set the table for our festive family meal.

* * *

**Max POV**

I woke up in a bright white room and I was strapped on to a gurney. That's when the smell hit me. It was a smell so clean that it was nauseating. It smelt like the School – the lab that I grew up in. I was back.

**Fang POV**

* * *

Christmas Eve was always one of my favorite times of the year. The cool air, happy music, chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Nah, I'm just kidding about that last one. But we _were_ roasting marshmallows in the fireplace. Angel laughed at Gazzy as his marshmallow caught on fire. Did he blow it out? Of course not. He and Iggy watched it in fascination.

"Guys, blow it out before it falls off and catches my house on fire." I said. Gazzy gave a sheepish smile before blowing out the fire. He shoved the marshmallow in to his mouth. My mom looked at me and smiled. I smiled back, it was nice to see her happy.

"Can we open presents now, Dr. Martinez?" Angel asked. My mom laughed.

"Only one. Then you have to head to bed so Santa can come." Angel and Gazzy nodded vigorously.

**Okay. This chapter _was_ a lot more disturbing, but I changed it to not be _as_ detailed. Anyway, please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

I helped my mom wrap gifts until two in the morning. At seven, Gazzy and Angel were shaking me awake.

"Santa came!" Gazzy yelled. Then, as he ran out of the room, he said "I _told_ you I was good!" I flipped my covers off and followed them in to the living room. I have to admit, the way my mom and I set up the presents looked pretty authentic – like Santa actually came. Gazzy and Angel started pulling presents out from under the tree and sorting them in to piles by name. The kids seemed to disappear under all of their presents. Iggy, Nudge, and I didn't have as many presents, obviously, but it was still fun to watch their excitement.

"Cool! A Transformer!" Gazzy had opened his first gift from Santa.

"I got the Barbie vet!" Angel bragged.

"Mine's cooler!"

"Is _not_!"

Well, you can imagine how quickly _that_ got annoying. Everyone took turns opening their gifts. We were done within the hour. Angel loved the winged bear I got her. I had gotten Nudge some kind of nail design kit and a book on how to use it and walked through different patterns. I had Iggy and Gazzy open their gifts at the same time. My mom wasn't too happy about what I got them – fireworks.

"You can't light these in the backyard." I warned them. "It'd catch the whole neighborhood on fire. Take them out to the field – the one by the lake." Iggy and Gazzy exchanged high fives. "And mom," I began, handing her a small box "this is for you." It was one of the three gifts she got – there was one from her sister, one from Iggy's parents, and now one from me. "It's my way of saying 'thank you', for everything you've ever done for me. Merry Christmas."

My mom unwrapped the box and lifted the lid off.

"Fang," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes, "it's beautiful." She pulled the necklace out of the box and gently held it in her hand. It had her name, Valencia, written in diamonds. The chain was made of white gold and had cost more than all of the gifts I got, combined. I put in the order a week ago and rushed it so I'd be able to pick it up by Christmas Eve. I helped my mom put it on and she pulled me in to a hug. I'm not a very huggable person, but I never took hers for granted.

* * *

**Max POV**

Jeb entered the small room I was placed in. I mean, it was _really_ small. There were needles and chemicals lined up on the walls and they were only two feet away from me on any side. So I guessed the room was – what? – ten by fourteen feet? Least I wasn't in a cage. My ankle was swollen but I couldn't fix it while Jeb was here, he didn't know about my healing ability.

"I can't believe you almost got out." He said in mock surprise. "I guess I'll have to contain you better next time."

"How did you know I was escaping? How did you _know_ to be there, when you were, to stop me?" my voice dropped at the end of the question instead of rising – something I rarely did. He gave me a nasty smile that almost made me regret asking the question.

"Cameras." He pronounced each syllable slowly, sending shivers down my spine. I couldn't believe it. I didn't _want_ to believe it. I knew he had cameras around the house, but in the _basement_? That was messed up. Everything I did, everything that was done _to_ me, was now in his security room and he could watch it whenever he wanted.

"So you were watching me the entire time."

"No." he said. "I'm not _that _messed up." Another smile. "But it _is_ in my records _somewhere . . ._ " his voice drifted off before he turned and started filling up a needle with some kind of bluish liquid. I tried to keep myself calm.

"You don't deserve to live." I growled at him.

"Perhaps not . . . but my Beth did." He glared at me.

"What do you mean? You think her death is _my_ fault?" he couldn't be serious. He held the needle up to the light and examined it before taking a step toward me.

"You don't remember how she died, do you?"

"Yes, I do. She took two medications that didn't mix. She died in her sleep." I told him. He shook his head.

"Your mind has blocked out the memory because of guilt. I'm still working out the kinks but _this_ is supposed to help you remember." He turned my arm over in the Velcro strap and jabbed the needle in, emptying the contents in to my blood system.

* * *

I stood and watched as Beth and my younger self emerged from the cabin. Beth was speaking to me.

"Max," she began, "you think of me as your mother, right?"

"Yeah!" I replied.

"Good. 'Cause I was starting to get worried that you were starting to be wary of me," she laughed, " what with you asking Jeb about your real mom."

I had followed them deeper in to the woods as their conversation continued. It was weird, this out of body experience.

"Well, I am curious about her – who she _really_ is, I mean." My young self told her. Beth's expression became hostile and she grabbed both of my arms, leaning down to be eye level.

"She's a nobody." Beth whispered. "I'm a better mom than could _ever_ be, so forget about her. She's a piece of _trash_, a crack addict, a _whore_. You were a _mistake_, so she got rid of you. She didn't care about you, Max. I _do._" She finished. I could actually see myself shaking, my expression not unlike the one I use today.

"Come on," she said, her voice softening, "let's go back inside." Beth turned away from me and started walking back toward the cabin. I stood still, glaring at the back of her head. Then my younger self sprinted forward and snatched up a branch off the ground before whacking it against the back of Beth's head. She fell to the ground.

"No!" I screamed. I ran forward to try and put myself between them. My younger self was still hitting Beth, she was still conscious. I was able to interfere as my younger self held the branch over her head. When she swung it downward, it went right through me and hit Beth with a sickening _thunk_. I stumbled away by about thirty feet, tears coming to my eyes. I couldn't help Beth. I stood and cried as I watched myself hit her over and over. Beth was silent, still. My young self finally stopped and, after realizing what she had done do Beth, threw the branch into the woods. She was breathing heavily as she backed away with wide eyes.

"No." she whispered. "No." she ran back to the cabin and I quickly followed. I thought about staying with Beth – to see if she had somehow lived and escaped – but decided against it. She was beaten to a pulp.

Both of us burst through the cabin door and my stomach churned when I saw Jeb casually sitting in a plaid recliner by the fire. He looked up.

"Where's Beth?"

"She was attacked," she lied smoothly and I looked at her incredulously, "by a bear."

"What?" Jeb yelled. He jumped up and pushed past us to get to the woods. "Stay here!" he yelled to my younger self. She nodded and started to close the door. I slipped out before it was shut and started to follow Jeb. I almost felt ad for him when he reached her body. He clung to her lifelessness, held her against him. No sound came out of his mouth, but it looked like he wasn't breathing.

The memory started to become blurry, and I felt myself being dragged out of it. Fluorescent lights came back in to view. Tears were streaming down my face.

"I didn't do that to her." I muttered in denial.

"Yes, you _did_." Jeb said through clenched teeth.

"How do you know _I_ did it?" I asked him.

"I found a stick covered in blood when I went back a while later to investigate. I don't know _why_ you did it, but that doesn't matter. It only matters that you _did_." Then he shoved _another_ needle in to my arm. I was consumed by darkness.

**Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright guys, this chapter switches POV quite a bit. Sorry about that. Just hang on for a few more chapters and it won't switch POV quite as much, or at all. Please review you guys! They make my day!**

I woke back up in darkness. At least I was out of the School. Or _maybe_ I was never in the School, maybe I hallucinated the whole thing. But if I hallucinated the whole thing, was my hallucination of Beth _really_ a hallucination, or was it really my mind trying to remember how Beth died?

I really hoped _none _of it was real. I couldn't have killed her. I _couldn't_ have

* * *

**Fang POV**

I sat with my mom and Nudge as we all watched Iggy and Gazzy face off in a video game my mom had gotten them. Angel was off to the side, fluffing her bear's fur. I got up and shut myself in my room so I could call Lissa. She picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lissa, it's Jonah."

"Hi! How's your Christmas going?"

"Pretty good. Yours?"

"It's nice, my little brother's being a pain but when _isn't_ he?"

"So what're you doing tomorrow night?" I asked her.

"Nothing that I know of. Why?" she was trying to be modest but I could tell she knew what I was going to ask.

"You wanna go out to dinner?"

"Yeah! That'd be great!"

"Cool. Meet me at that Italian place on the corner at seven." I hung up before she could respond. The last thing I had to do today was to give Max her ring.

* * *

**Max POV**

Today was Christmas day and I was spending it alone. It was only last night that I had been injected with that blue memory stuff. I think Jeb was purposefully waiting until Christmas Eve to have me remember, since it was the four-year anniversary of her death. I had killed her and that's why he hated me. The thing was, the more I thought about Beth's death, the more real it became. I started to remember the smell of the woods, the shine of her hair, the warmth of the cabin. Images became clearer and everything in my life started to make more sense – there used to be a hole in my life that I couldn't remember, stuff didn't add up.

The door opened and Jeb spoke down to me – like always.

"Someone's here and I wasn't expecting them. You can yell all you want but he won't be able to hear you." The door shut again.

* * *

**Fang POV**

I pressed the button on the side of the gate. A gruff voice answered me. It was Dr. Batchelder. He practically owned the town. I mean, he knew a lot of people, had a lot of connections.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Batchelder. I was wondering if I could come inside for a few minutes."

"Who is this?" he asked angrily.

"Oh, I'm one of Max's friends." I held the box tightly in my hand. Dr. Batchelder paused for a moment before responding.

"Give me one minute." He said. I looked up at the house and saw him walk toward a door. He opened it and stood there for a few seconds before closing it again. He disappeared again and I heard the gate buzz. I pushed it open and started walking toward the door. I couldn't believe this was actually _happening_. Dr. Batchelder opened the door as I walked up the steps and welcomed me inside. I looked around in awe, but I didn't show it. _Everything _was made of marble. The kitchen counter, the coffee table, the stairs, the floor, even the _walls_ were made of marble.

"Your house is incredible." I told him.

"Thank you." He said sincerely. "Now, you came for Max?"

"Well, I came to give her something. Christmas day, you know?" I looked around and noticed that there wasn't a tree set up. "You _do_ celebrate Christmas, right?" I hoped they weren't Jewish, or something.

"Not since her mom died."

"Oh, I didn't know. My condolences."

"It's fine . . . Max isn't here right now, though. Do you want _me_ to give her the gift?" he reached out for the box and I slightly pulled back.

"I can give it to her." I told him. "Can you tell her Jonah came by?"

"Of course. Do you want me to have her call you when she gets home?" he offered.

"Yeah, sure." I wrote it down for him. "Thanks." I took one last look at the house before heading home.

* * *

**Max POV**

I heard voices coming from upstairs. They were too quiet to hear _who_ it was, much less what they were saying. But if Jeb wasn't expecting them, he didn't know them.

"Help!" I yelled. "_Please_, help me – whoever you are! _Please_! I'm locked down here and I can't get out! Jeb's a _monster_! Please, _help_ me!"

No response. So Jeb _wasn't _lying about the soundproof door. I guess the only reason I could hear _them_ was because of my super hearing from being genetically altered. I kept screaming until the metal door creaked open again. He needed to oil the hinges, or something.

"Shut up, _bitch_." Jeb shouted. Then he flipped a switch and fluorescent lights came on overhead. I quickly wrapped my wings around my naked body, my arms on the outside. My eyes were squeezed shut, so I _heard_ Jeb storming down the stairs. They opened as soon as Jeb slapped my across the face.

"What did _I_ do?"

"Your friend Jonah came by." He started.

"_Who_?" I didn't know a Jonah. Jeb slapped me again.

"You know _exactly_ who."

"_No_, I don't! I don't know _anyone_ named Jonah!" I yelled.

"Well he seemed to know _you_."

"What do you mean?"

"He brought you a present for _Christmas_." He hissed. "Looked like jewelry, from the box it was in."

"Someone bought me jewelry?" I have to admit, I was a little flattered.

"Yeah, but he looked like more of a _boyfriend_ to me."

"I don't have a _friend_, let alone a _boyfriend_."

"Oh, really?" he asked snidely. "Dark hair and eyes, thin but muscular, about six foot two?"

I gasped, realizing he was talking about Fang. Jeb's face became red with anger and he punched me in the jaw.

"You _do_ know him."

"I didn't know that was his name." I told him. "And he's just an acquaintance – he's in my biology class. "

"How did he know you live here?" he snapped. "What does he know about you?"

"He knows nothing about _me_ or any of _this_." I gestured to the basement. "And I don't know _how_ he knows I live here! I made sure no one was in view when I entered, like I _always_ do!"

"You ever think that maybe they were out of _your_ view but you weren't out of _their_ view?" he questioned. I thought about it for a moment and realized he was probably right.

"No." I told him. He frowned and pushed my head back against the wall, leaving me with a splitting headache, before he left and flipped the light back off.

* * *

**Fang POV**

"Hey, where'd you head off to?" Iggy asked when I got back.

"I had to give something to a friend, but she wasn't there."

"Oh, a _she_." Iggy teased. Then he frowned. "You mean Max, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"You went to her _house_ and didn't invite me?"

"If I had known you wanted to g–"

"Nah, it's fine. Gaz and I were gonna set off the fireworks you got us. You wanna come?"

"Yeah, but . . . shouldn't you wait until it's dark?" I pointed out.

"Shoot."

"No, we have to light the second and _fifth_ ones at the same time." Gazzy argued.

"You said the second and _fourth_." Said Iggy.

"_Fifth!_"

"Guys!" I yelled. "Just light the freaking fireworks." Iggy and Gazzy shrugged and started lighting fuses at random. The fireworks were over in about three minutes, but it was pretty cool – like a mini Fourth of July. Gazzy gave me a huge hug for his gift and Iggy and I fist bumped. Angel still had her hands over her ears and I had to pull them away so she'd know the show was over. We went back home fore Christmas day dinner, which was basically just leftovers from the night before.

"That was so _cool_, Fang! Did you _see_ it?" Gazzy made noises that sounded more like static than fireworks.

"Yeah, I saw." I yelled over him. Iggy laughed at my annoyance. Gazzy was a cute kid, but after ten minutes of "that was _awesome_!" my patience was getting thin.

"They were really loud." Angel complained.

"They're _fireworks_." Gazzy said.

"Well, they should be more polite and be quieter." Nobody had really explained the whole inanimate-objects-don't-have-feelings-or-choices thing yet.

"Yes, they should." My mom agreed.

"Are you _stupid_?" Gazzy asked her. "Fireworks aren't alive! Why would you _think_ that? They don't just blow up for _fun_! You're an _idiot_ if you actually believe that." He accused. Angel's lip started to tremble and she ran away to lock herself in my mom's room.

"She's not an idiot," I told him, "she's _six_." Gazzy looked ashamed of what he did. _Well, good_, I thought. I got up to check on Angel. I stopped at my mom's door and heard Angel's sobs coming from the other side.

"Angel, can I come in?" I asked gently.

"Is it just you?" her voice broke a little at the end.

"Yes." The door opened. Angel's usual clear blue eyes were now red and puffy. I shut the door behind me as Angel sat back on the floor with her bear. I sat down next to her and she crawled in to my lap.

"Gazzy didn't mean what he said." I reassured her.

"Yes he _did_." Angel pouted. "He called me _stupid_. That's a mean word and people shouldn't say it to someone else unless they _mean_ it. So he _meant_ what he said." I couldn't really argue with her by saying that stupid wasn't a mean word. She was six – to her, that was the worst thing you could call someone. So I agreed with her and told her she was right. She gave a little sniffle. After another few minutes, I realized Angel had fallen asleep in my arms. I scooped her up and tucked her in to my mom's bed.

**I hope you enjoyed it! Again, please review! It makes me happy!**

**Song of the day: Journey to the Capitol by Matt Bukaty and Edward Underhill**


	15. Chapter 15

I met up with Lissa at the Italian place. She looked amazing. Her skin was smooth, her eyelashes long and dark, and her lips were the most perfect shade of pink. We got a table for two in the corner – it was more private that way. She was wearing a green dress that contrasted with her hair, but matched her eyes. It was a silkier material that showed off her figure, but wasn't too tight. The candlelight reflected off of it just the slightest bit, making her dress glow a little. Italian music played quietly throughout the restaurant. It was a quaint little place. A husband and wife opened it a few years back.

"You look very _dashing_ tonight." She teased.

"And you look beautiful." I complimented. She really _was_ the most beautiful girl I've seen. She blushed and flipped up her menu to hide her face as well as to decide what she wanted. The waiter showed up a few minutes later to take our order. After we handed him our menus, Lissa and I played the get-to-know-you game.

"Favorite band?" She asked.

"Hard to choose one. I like a little of everything."

"I like Florence and the Machine." She told me.

"Alright, so I told you _my_ favorite color. What's yours?"

"Blue." She said after thinking for a moment. "Yeah, definitely blue."

"Favorite movie?" I asked.

"Oh, gosh. Um . . . I'd probably have to say my top three are Tangled, the Harry Potter films, and The Sixth Sense." She smiled.

"That's a mixed collection." I teased.

"I kind of picked my favorite from each category." She laughed.

"Favorite shows."

"Hey! You didn't tell me _your_ favorite movie!"

"You'll laugh." I told her honestly.

"No I won't!" she promised.

"Fine. I love the Batman movies." I admitted.

"Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed. "Can I change my list? 'Cause _those_ are definitely in my top three." She smiled. "They're just so great! I mean, he's like the _only_ superhero who doesn't have any powers. Everything he does is just _him_. He tries to stay himself throughout everything and he's just super awesome."

"Now, what're your favorite shows?" I asked again.

"Dexter, I love almost _all_ Disney shows, and So You Think You Can Dance."

"So You Think You Can Dance?" I asked. "Why do you like _that_ show?" I wasn't accusing, I was just curious.

"Well, I'm a dancer." She told me. "I love watching their technique and seeing how hard they work at everything. In three years, when I'm eighteen, I'm going to audition." She smiled.

"What type of dance do you do?" I asked her. I guess a lot of guys don't care what she does, 'cause she seemed pretty ecstatic that I asked.

"Ballet, tap, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, ballroom, pas de deux, and I also do palates to help with my core strength." She finished.

"That is . . . a _lot_ of dance."

"It's practically my life. The only time I'm not dancing is when we're on breaks, then I work at my mom's store." She explained. I nodded and saw our waiter coming to the table. He set our plates down in front of us and Lissa started to dig in. She wasn't shoveling it in to her mouth or anything – she was able to cut her ravioli _and_ eat it in record time. I couldn't help but stare at her. She caught me looking, finished chewing, and then explained.

"I'm also on the track team. I have a really high metabolism and burn through calories."

"You're on the track team too?" I asked her. She was really athletic.

"Yep, top runner." She said, looking a little embarrassed. "I'm the fastest on the team."

"Wow. How fast can you run?"

"I can run the mile in about six minutes, at a steady pace, and sprint it in about four." She explained.

"You can _sprint_ the mile?"

"Yeah." She looked embarrassed so I blurted out something I've never told _anyone_.

"I like to draw." She looked up.

"Really? Draw?"

"Yeah."

"What do you like to draw?" She leaned forward and I shrugged.

"Everything, I guess." I said truthfully. She nodded.

"What's your religion?" she asked a moment later.

"Um, Christian, I guess."

"You _guess_?" she laughed.

"I have a religion, but I'm not really religious." I explained.

"So you don't believe in God?"

"Not really. I believe there _is_ someone who created the world, but it's not necessarily _God_. But, angels and demons and all that other stuff, I don't believe."

"Alright." She said. "I see what you mean."

"What about you?"

"Catholic." The check came, I paid, and Lissa insisted that she at least pay the tip. I let her. She was stubborn, wouldn't take no as an answer. She lived on the other side of town, didn't have a ride home.

"I'll walk you." I told her. It was windy out, which only made it colder. Lissa was shivering, but not complaining about it. I took off my over shirt and placed it around her shoulders.

"Thanks." She said. The wind was getting stronger and I was getting pretty cold, but I couldn't just _ask_ for my shirt back. Lissa's hair had been halfway pulled back in a giant clip, but it was coming loose. We were almost to her house when it started pouring rain. We ran the rest of the way, until we were under the safety of her porch. She started laughing and I couldn't help but smile at her. Her hair was hanging around her face and I started to push it back behind her ears.

"Don't want your parents to think I took advantage of you." I explained. She laughed and I placed my hand on the back of her neck. I pulled her closer to me, she smelt like cinnamon. It was intoxicating. Her mouth was soft, warm. I didn't want to stop kissing her. But I had to so she could go inside. She handed me my shirt back and looked at the rain. It had turned in to a thunderstorm.

"You know," she said, "my parents would probably let you stay the night instead of having to walk home in this."

"I can't." I told her. "I have to get home to help my mom with all the people we have over." I gave her an apologetic smile. She nodded.

"Can we do this again sometime?" she asked.

"Soon." I answered. She gave me one more kiss before stepping inside.

* * *

**Max POV**

After Jeb left, all I could think was, _Fang bought me jewelry . . .Why would he buy me jewelry?_

_Maybe he really cares about you_, said my Voice. Yeah, remember when I said I was hearing voices? Apparently it was stuck with me. It's been saying useless things ever since it showed up.

_Why would he care about me?_ I asked it.

_He's interested in you, remember? 'Cause you're different._

I laughed. _That _was an understatement. I sighed and sat back. My wings were still wrapped around me, keeping me slightly warm in this dank cellar. Maybe Fang really _did_ care about me. I mean, he could tell I was hungry so he gave me food. He'd noticed I was becoming more sickly, and kept pestering me as to why. Maybe he'd figure it out, he was smart. He was the only one who could be even remotely close to any help I could get. I mean, face it, I'm not getting out of here alone. I pictured Fang appearing at the top of the stairs, running down to help me get out. He wouldn't be scared by my wings. Instead, he'd gather me to him, his warmth radiating through my body.

_Oh no, _I thought, _I can't like Fang._

But the truth was, I think I loved him.

**So...? What do y'all think? Sorry for not having a lot going on in this chapter. The next chapter will be better, but it will change POV a couple times. Anyway, please review! And to TMI, you need to make an account so we can PM or something :p Thanks guys!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Alright you guys, here's the next chapter. I have a lot of important things to say in the author's note, so please read it. Thanks!**

**Fang POV**

The first day of school always sucks when you've had a nice break. Everyone left yesterday, so it was just me and my mom again. Nothing huge happened on New Year's. I had invited Lissa over and asked her to be my girlfriend before it hit midnight. As soon as the ball dropped on TV, she kissed me. So I took it as a yes. Nudge and Angel had practically been radiating with excitement, Iggy had shaken his head at my cliché-ness, and Gazzy pretended to throw up.

Anyway, I was eating a bowl of cereal when my mom rushed out of her room, carrying a giant suitcase and a duffel bag.

"Have you seen my car keys?"

"In the bowl by the door. Where're you going?"

"One of my old friends has an emergency with their horse. She is _set_ on me being there, doesn't want anyone else."

"Where is it?" I asked.

"In Georgia. I should be back in about a week. Can I trust you to go to school, not eat junk, and not throw any wild parties?" She asked. Then she smiled. She knew I wasn't going to do anything like that; I'm not a big people person. She hugged me around the shoulders and headed out the door. "Love you!" she called. The door shut before I could reply. My mom was _always_ working. It's good pay, but it's lonely. I washed out my bowl and put it in the dishwasher. I had another good ten minutes before I had to leave for school. I started up the coffee maker and went to check my bag to see if I needed anything – I shouldn't since I haven't _touched_ it since break started. I had everything but a pencil and some paper, so I opened my nightstand drawer to grab some. A box slid forward and I opened it. It was Max's ring.

I had completely forgotten about her since my date with Lissa. I grabbed the ring and set it in the front pocket of my bag. Max should be at school today; I'd give it to her in science, since I'd be sitting with Iggy and Lissa at lunch. Turns out, she went to our school. I had never seen her 'cause she sat on the other side of the cafeteria and our paths had never crossed in between classes. She was bringing her friends – Tess and Brigid – along with her.

I headed out the door twenty minutes before school started. When I passed the mansion, I saw Dr. Batchelder speeding out of the driveway. A couple of men were entering. I worried for a minute before realizing Max was probably already at school. And Dr. Batchelder seemed like a really cool guy, he wouldn't let bad people near her.

* * *

Max wasn't at school the second _or_ third. So, where was she? I talked to Ms. Ammon after school on Tuesday.

"She was called out sick but, I don't think that's really the case." She said.

"What do you think _is_ the case?" I asked. She took a deep breath before answering.

"I think they sent her back." She whispered.

"You said they would 'send her back' when I talked to you before. Where is _back_?"

"Fang," she sighed, "I can't tell you everything – it's not my secret _to _tell. But I think you deserve to know that Max is not like everybody else. She grew up in an awful place, Fang – worse than you could imagine. I know she looks so _strong_ on the outside, but she can be broken so easily."

"Do you know _if_ and _when_ she'll be back?" I asked. She gestured to her computer.

"Principle Pruitt sent me an email on Monday, saying that she'd be back on the fourth." Ms. Ammon explained.

"So . . . tomorrow." I pointed out.

"Seems like it."

"Thank you Ms. Ammon." I said gratefully. I would give Max her ring tomorrow; she always gets to science early.

* * *

**Max POV**

Have I mentioned how much I _hate_ Jeb? Maybe not, but I'm sure it was implied. He had shortened my chain; I had guessed that it retracted in to the wall and I was right – I could feel the small hole where it entered. The water began to rush underneath me and the door opened again. Right on time.

"Hey boys!" I cheerily called out to them. This took them aback. There were only two of them so I was in a bit of a better mood. They continued down the stairs nonetheless. They didn't do anything but touch me from the waist up; I pushed them away at first, but they shackled my wrists to the wall. My arms were out to the sides, like I was waiting for someone to run into my embrace. I could feel their fingers tracing my jaw line, my ribcage. The one man, who smelt of cigars and that nasty cologne, began to let his hand drift lower on my body. When he reached my hipbone, my leg automatically kicked out, hitting him in the lower abdomen. _I wish I kicked lower,_ I thought. The man grunted and struck me across the face.

"She's all yours." The man growled. He walked off in to the corner and lit another cigar. The man, that I apparently _belonged_ to now, literally _licked_ my face. Seriously, his tongue started on my jaw and traveled up to my temple.

"Down boy." I told him. He grabbed my face with one hand and turned me toward him. In reply, he licked me once more. This time it started on my right cheek, traveled up my nose diagonally, and ended on my forehead. I lifted up my foot and pushed his face away. His hand wrapped around my throat as he pinned me against the wall. I started laughing when I felt his breath on his face, I couldn't take him seriously. The Cigar Man's smoke finally reached me and I started to cough.

"Let's go." The Cigar Man said. "She hasn't been any fun since she stopped struggling."

"Sorry to disappoint." I said snidely, my voice a little hoarse since then man's hand was still around my neck. He let go and joined the Cigar Man in leaving. Once they were gone, I let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

Jeb has stopped bringing me food in the past couple of days, only water. But I realized I wasn't even hungry anymore. My stomach never growled, I never felt nauseous or dizzy. I would be back at school tomorrow, though, and I didn't even know what I looked like. Horrible, I'm sure.

In the morning, after I had showered and dressed, I realized how stiff I was. I hadn't really walked in a while; it took a lot of effort to get to school. I started toward my locker in Building Two. This was always the most crowded building in the morning. As people bumped up against me, I realized something. I do not like human contact. I _think_ it has something to do with what I've experienced . . . just a guess. I looked up, to see if I were close to my locker, and saw Fang. I was so relieved to see him, someone I knew. Someone that made me feel like everything was back to normal, like I wasn't locked in a basement for three weeks. He raised his hand in greeting and I came to a halt. He knows something is up, I know that for sure. I couldn't risk him knowing more, I liked him too much to be able to handle it if something happened to him.

I turned and walked back in the opposite direction, toward the stairs. The bell would be ringing any second now, I had to get downstairs to math. Fang called my name but I didn't turn, though I wanted to. As I predicted, the bell rang and I felt Fang's presence disappear. On to Mrs. Corbett, then.

* * *

When the bell rang to release us from first period, I was out the door in seconds and on my way to English class upstairs. I sat in my normal seat and ignored all the stares coming from my fellow classmates. I never really paid attention to who was in my classes anyway. I _didn't_ ignore the shadow that loomed over me, though. It was Ari, the quarterback on our football team. He thought he was so amazing because he could do whatever he wanted, get into _all_ the trouble he wanted, and the principle would let it slide because _Ari _was his son.

"Hey, Max." he gave a half smile and let an eyebrow raise – _his_ version of trying to be seductive.

"I think you've got a nervous twitch." I told him, mocking. His smile fell, but mine grew – I'm feeling more and more like myself every minute.

"Just wanted to know how your break was." Ari went on conversationally. Now it was _my_ turn to look pissed off. I was just starting to forget about it.

"Does it really matter?" I asked him. He gave a shrug. "I think you should sit down now."

"Alright, Max. Whatever you want, I'll do it." He gave a wink and walked to his desk a few rows over. The rest of the students filed in and took their seats. A minute after the bell rang, the announcements came on.

"_Good morning students!" _said a senior over the loudspeaker. Many people groaned in response – intending that this was, in fact, not a good morning. _"Just a few small announcements and then Principle Pruitt has a few things he'd like to say. First off, there is a Tom's Shoe Club meeting today at lunch . . . "_ I began to drown the words out since I wasn't involved in any clubs. I was startled in to listening a minute later when the voice changed over to the principle – his voice was so deep compared to the girl's.

"_Prom is coming up," _He informed, _"which also means that the senior pep rally and spring carnival are as well. The pep rally will feature our senior twirlers, dancers, and cheerleaders. It will also give away the theme for prom. Please remember that only upper classmen are allowed to attend prom unless _asked _by an upper classman. Tickets will be on sale next week."_ His voice sounded oddly familiar. I mean, I know he's our principle but I feel like I've heard it somewhere _else_. I concentrated on the last bit of his message. _"The spring carnival will be in March. I know that seems like a long time to wait," _he chuckled, _"but it's only because we have some awesome booths to make. There'll be a dunk booth, pie throwing booth – which I'll, unfortunately, be a part of – a raffle booth, and some eating contests for the strong men. Apart from the booths, there'll be more activities to enjoy like face painting, water slides – wet shirt competitions are _not_ allowed – bobbing for apples, and more. Having fun yet? You don't . . ."_ all sound faded away. I was shocked; too shocked to move, actually. I stared at my desk, my heart beat getting faster. I recognized the voice as soon as he asked if we were having fun. I slowly looked at Ari, only to see him already staring at me with a knowing smile.

Oh, God.

A wave of nausea hit me and I had to run out of the room without excusing myself. I've never cared what people thought about me, but this was the exception. Running out was radical, even for me. All sound was faded, like I was wearing earplugs, and I think the door slammed against the wall as I bolted out. I dashed down the hallway, toward the bathroom, keeping my eye on it's door as I got closer. But I saw a dark figure out of the corner of my eye. I could tell they were staring at me, so I skid to a halt to tell them to get a life. But when I looked at them, my mind drew a blank.

_What are _you _doing here?_ I wanted to ask him. His eyes bore in to me and I instantly felt self-conscious_. Could I trust him? Maybe he would hurt me too. After all, I had trusted Jeb and he let those men –_

My mind was yanked back to my recent discovery. Mr. Pruitt and Ari. My stomach churned again, and I had to run in to the closest stall to make sure my stomach contents – what little I had, anyway – didn't end up on the floor. Someone else entered the room. It embarrassed me when she asked if I was alright.

"Not feeling too good." I said honestly.

"I have some Maalox if you need it," she said helpfully, "I get bad heartburn every once in a while."

"That'd be nice." I told her. In the next moment, she was sliding a bottle under the door. I poured two of the dissolvable bites into my left hand and popped them in to my mouth. Then I closed the lid and passed them back to her.

"You can keep them if you want." She told me. "There's only a few left."

"No, it's fine. Thank you." If I brought home medicine, it'd only end in more punishment for me, and possibly the girl. I started to stand, my knees shaking. As I flushed the toilet, it took all of my concentration to not keel over in to the bowl.

"Do you need me to take you to the nurse?" the girl asked as my hand pushed against the wall to help keep balanced.

"No, I'm alright." I lied.

"Are you sure?" she persisted. I slid the lock out of place and yanked the door open to argue. The girl was leaning with her back against the wall, facing the stall I occupied. She was very pretty. Shorter than me, by about three inches, with dark curly hair that fell just past her shoulders and gray almond-shaped eyes. She looked a little worried, right when I opened the door. But now, I could tell she was trying to hold back a look of revulsion as her eyes flicked over my sickly body.

"I'm _fine_." I almost yelled. Her eyes fell to the floor, like she was guilty for looking. I didn't blame her. I instantly felt awful for being mean, she was only trying to help. "Actually," I started, "could you?" I smiled a little – the biggest apology you'll usually get from me – and she was able to pick up on my unease.

"Sure." She said after a moment's hesitation. She walked next to me down the hallway, toward the staircase. I was perfectly content with not talking, but the girl felt a need to strike up a conversation.

"So what's your name?"

_Curiosity killed the non-mutant cat,_ I think, _a lesson that humans have yet to learn._ "Max." I tell her simply.

"That's a cool name!" she says enthusiastically. "Is it short for something?"

"Just Max." I say, shaking my head once. We reached the stairs and I let out a deep breath before heading down. There was a metal railing down the center – it became my main support. My body was still recuperating from my vomit session. The girl kept a steady eye on me, making sure I didn't tumble down the last half.

"I'm Jennifer, most people call me Jen." She told me. I nodded once. We started to walk on flat ground again. I was relieved. Jennifer kept her eyes forward, obviously feeling pretty awkward.

"Thanks, by the way." I said suddenly. He head snapped up to look at me, waiting for an explanation. "For helping me out. Most people would just scrunch their nose and get out of there as soon as they could."

"I just thought, 'if I were the one who was sick, I'd want someone to help _me_ out'. So I did."

We arrived at the nurse's office. Jennifer handed me over to her and the nurse immediately laid me down on one of the little beds.

"What's wrong?" the nurse asked her as she pulled out a thermometer – standard procedure.

"Not feeling too good." I used the same words as I did with Jennifer.

"She was throwing up. I don't know if there's a new bug going around or what." Jennifer explained. The nurse pulled back the thermometer and frowned.

"103.4 degrees." She stated. Then she placed the back of her hand on my forehead. "You're not sweating, though, and you feel normal on the outside . . . Do you _feel_ really hot?"

I wanted to explain to her that I was created like that; I've always had a hotter core temperature than humans. But I just nodded my head, like a normal person would. If I told her the truth, she'd think I'm wacky. She stepped away and walked toward an ice chest. As she was scooping ice in to a plastic Ziploc bag, Jennifer stepped toward me.

"Do you need any more help?" she offered. I was about to ask if she could get my backpack, then realized it was still second period and Ari would see her. He's a direct line to Jeb and would report that someone was helping me. So I decided against it.

"Um, no. I'll get it later."

"Okay." She smiled and walked out of the nurse's office. The nurse walked back over to the bed, sealing the baggie as she came. When she set it on my forehead, I sighed like it helped. Which, of course, it didn't. All it did was make my skull feel like it was shrinking, giving me a headache. But I left it there until the nurse felt it had done its job.

"Can I stay here for a while?" I asked her.

"Sure." She smiled sweetly. She plopped down in her cushioned chair and asked me another question. "Were you sick before you came to school?"

"No, ma'am." I said shortly.

"Did you eat something that upset your stomach?"

"No." It could have been a 'maybe' if I actually _ate._

"Would you like to call one of your parents to come pick you up?"

"My dad's at work, he can't leave." I explained.

"Alright. If you need anything, let me know." She told me.

"Do you have anything light that I can eat?"

"I have a couple packs of saltine crackers."

"That'd be good." I said. She pulled out a couple packets of the crackers. There were only two in each pack, eight total. I gratefully took the crackers from her. I ate them slowly, only one every five minutes. It was ten minutes in to third period when I ate the last cracker. The nurse gave me a small bottle of water, maybe about six fluid ounces. I took small sips, letting the water wet my parched mouth. None of it made it down my throat because my mouth was greedy for the cool liquid, absorbing it like rain in the Sahara. I hadn't realized how dehydrated I was until the water was gone and I craved for more.

The nurse wrote me a late pass to third after making sure I was feeling better. The Maalox and crackers helped dilute my nausea. When I walked in to my classroom, I sat down and quietly got started on my work. I didn't have my bag, but we were only doing a small packet and the teacher gave me one of his pencils. Once class was over, I quickly walked back to my English class to retrieve my bag.

"What happened in class today?" she asked.

"I just felt really sick all of a sudden. I'll make up my work at lunch." I promised her. She smiled, letting me know that was fine with her. I was able to squeeze myself out of the doorway as groups of students came in.

The good thing about never eating lunch is that you don't miss it when you have to make up work instead. I had been able to avoid Fang all day. That's when I remembered that I _would_ have to see him in seventh period. As well as Ari. I stopped in front of Ms. Ammon's classroom and took a deep breath before entering. My jaw was clenching as I walked in. Ms. Ammon's face filled with relief when she saw me. I walked toward her to "retrieve my work". We talked in hushed voices.

"Max, I'm so sorry." Ms. Ammon started.

"Why?" I ignored the feel of Ari's gaze on my back as Ms. Ammon handed me my assignments and continued speaking.

"The school gave me the curriculum for this semester. I've never had to teach this before."

"Teach _what_?"

"Recombinant DNA."

"You're _shitting_ me, right?" Why is everything happening _today?_

"Max, language." She warned.

"That is the _least_ of my problems right now." I told her truthfully.

"Anyway, just try to act normal. I know you've learned a lot about it over the years, but you have to stay quiet. Don't answer anything." She instructed.

"Got it." I took the papers from her and sat down. I started them before the bell rang.

"Genetic engineering." Ms. Ammon started once everyone sat down. "Does anyone know what it is?" A girl raised her hand and Ms. Ammon pointed to her.

"Isn't that when scientists take two different things and combine them to make a new species?"

_Of a sort,_ I thought.

"Yes." Ms. Ammon said. I noticed how she purposefully avoiding looking at me. "Let's say you have two plants. One's resistant to the cold; the other's resistant to heat. You take the genes from each plant and sort of push them together to grow a _new_ plant that's resistant to both the cold _and_ heat. This is just an example, I'm not sure if that combination is actually possible."

_It's not_, I thought while I doodled on some paper. You _could_ create the plant, but here's the catch. While you have it in a neutral climate, it still has the option of being resistant to hot _or _cold, not both. It adapts to whatever extreme temperature you place it in first and loses its resistance to the other climate. Everything is possible, even if just for a millisecond. I was the longest living mutant that the School made and I could collapse and die at any given moment. I've seen Erasers die; they're the second longest living mutants. They're a human-lupine hybrid, wolf men. They live to be about seven, but grow incredibly fast so they reach adulthood by the time they're four. Back in the School, a group of them would be walking along the corridors, past my crate. Then it's like one of them trips, he just falls forward and dies. I look closely and see a set of numbers on the back of his neck. The date of his death. The other Erasers just kept walking, used to things like this happening. But I had to stare at the body until Whitecoats came to take it to the cremation room. I looked at the back of my neck every day to see if a date had appeared. So far, it hadn't. Once it does, I'll only have about a week left.

I kept doodling while Ms. Ammon continued her lecture. Then I heard Ari ask a question that made my blood run cold.

"What about putting bird DNA in to a human?" I snapped my head up to look at him. He was staring straight at me.

_Are you an idiot?_ I wanted to scream at him. Instead, I gave him an almost imperceptible shake of my head, warning him to shut his mouth. Ms. Ammon quickly looked at me, then back at Ari, curious as to how he knew about me. She collected herself and answered professionally.

"I don't think that's possible," she laughed, "to create a new hybrid, you need the two species to be closely related in class. Avian DNA can't be joined with human DNA, they're not even mammals."

"Hm, never mind then." Ari said skeptically. He was trying to blow my secret. One of, anyway. He really _was_ an idiot. If people found out about my wings, he'd be taken in for questioning, the rest of the gang would be found out, labs would be shut down, and Ari would be punished severely. It'd probably end in death for him.

My eyes flicked over to Fang to see his reaction in this three-person exchange. He was only watching, taking in everything – body language, tone of voice, Ms. Ammon's slight hesitation and my angry glare at Ari. He was like me, in that manner, observant.

"Besides," I spoke, "even if you _did_ graft avian and human DNA together, the outcome wouldn't live long." Ms. Ammon looked at me, agitation clear on her face, because I had spoken. But then her eyes saddened, because I was also right.

**Okay, first of all, I need to point out that at the beginning of the story, I spelt 'allowed' as 'aloud'. I mean, what was I _thinking_? So that kinda ticked me off. If anyone knows how to fix that, please let me know. 'Cause there's also words that were supposed to be 'bad' and they came out as 'ad'. Also, in my first chapter, Max say that she escaped from the School when she was twelve and Beth died a year later, when she was thirteen. But later on, Max says that Beth died four years ago (supposedly when she was eleven, which means she excaped when she was ten). So, that timeline is messed up. I want the real timeline to be when Max escaped at ten and Beth died when she's eleven. Again, if you know how to edit a chapter after it's up, let me know. It's driving me nuts. And now we've made it to _this_ chapter. I've been having some issues with fanfiction. Whenever I post up a new chapter, only those of you who have subscribed to me in some way are notified. It's not posted up to the main page for all to see. So I haven't been getting any new readers. If my story shows up when I update this, I'm gonna feel really stupid. Anyway, I've been really hesitant to post this chapter up. Last thing, this chapter was longer but I split it in half because I still haven't finished it. So, please review! It'll make me very happy! :) And thanks to those of you who actually read this whole thing.**

**Song of the day: Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace (it kind of fits this story)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, I have to say thanks to a couple people because they review quite a bit and they always entertain me.**

**TMI (for giving the longest reviews), Psychopatic FanGirl (for making inappropriate reviews that make my day), Girlreadsalot (for reviewing practically every chapter), TwiPotterHungerRidePercyLiars (for having an awesome penname that made my friend and I's day when it was really crappy), ThoseEyesThatHauntMe (for constructive criticism), hannahclubreef12 (for using 'please' the most in one review while telling me to update soon), and JealousMindsThinkAlike (for also reviewing practically every chapter).**

**I love all of my readers and all the reviews I get! You'll get a mention if you review more :p Anyway, on with the story!**

Jeb was waiting for me when I got back to the house. I was able to block his fist when it swung toward my temple and I spoke before he could try again.

"Wait!" I called. He actually stopped, mid-swing, and waited for me to speak again. "I'd rather just go down there voluntarily. I hate this be-knocked-unconscious-and-wake-up-in-a-dark-cellar crap." He looked at me skeptically, probably wondering if I were planning something – which I wasn't. Jeb nodded once, so I let my bag slip off my shoulder and on to the floor. He grabbed my arm and started to pull me toward the basement door. "I can walk, you know." I complained, yanking my arm from his grip. He narrowed his eyes at me, but he didn't touch me again. As I walked down the first few steps, Jeb flipped on the lights. I finally saw my living quarters as a whole. Over the grate, I saw the chains. The two that had chained my wrists out to the sides, two that were placed higher – they'd stretch my arms above me if I sat – and the retractable chain for my ankle. I wasn't sure if the higher chains were retractable or not, but they were there so I guessed I'd find out at some point.

My eyes caught on the door, the one I had asked Jeb about, and I imagined what could be behind it. Anything was possible. Medieval torture devices, a dinosaur, dead bodies . . . I mean, really, the possibilities were endless. Though I'm sure there weren't dead bodies – I would have smelt them by now. Jeb pushed me forward; I barely caught myself after my foot skipped a step. I turned my head around to glare at him and he smiled back. Like a creep, of course.

"Let me help you down." He said, grabbing my arm once more. His left hand was still broken and I could tell that he hadn't yet forgiven me, by the way he grasped me with his right. I do have to say that I _did_ get down the stairs easier, but his fingernails had drawn blood and his hand left _another_ bruise. Oh well, definitely not as bad as I've had. He used the standard ankle chain. I stood still as it closed around my thin leg, making a small _clank_, and then making a small _click_ as Jeb used a small key to lock it. Okay, so I'm not too good with descriptions but give me a break, I haven't been to school in a month!

* * *

I didn't say one word all of Thursday, or Friday, for that matter. I avoided everyone's eyes, did what I was told, tried not to bring too much attention to myself after what happened in English and science on Wednesday.

At lunch, on Friday, I sat by myself as usual. I couldn't help but glance at Fang's table a couple of times. Everyone was laughing except Fang, who was smiling at Lissa – she was in my English class, second period. I felt a mixture of emotions at that moment. First, confusion as to why he even _cared_ about me in the first place. Then, admiration toward him for actually being able to trick me in to eating, anger for making me like him, jealousy toward Lissa because _she_ had Fang, and then I felt incredibly dumb for even _being_ jealous. He deserved to have _her_, not me. Besides, he'd be happier with her than he ever would be with me – I was completely screwed up (no pun intended). It was almost selfish of me to think about being with him, having a life with him. I'd be better off by myself. That is, if I ever get away.

* * *

You know what sucks about math class? My name seems to be in _every_ freaking problem. _What's the maximum of the parabola? What's the maximum amount of turning points a parabola can _have_?_ It was pretty annoying because whenever the teacher would ask a question like that, I felt like they were trying to get me to pay attention. So I'd look up, realize they _weren't _talking to me, and then I'd have to use all of my concentration to zone out again. I never really paid attention during class, I usually just taught it to myself later.

I've been having to do all of my homework at school since I couldn't really do it in the basement. And if I slacked off . . . well, Jeb wouldn't be too happy about that.

I was . . . relieved in an odd way, when the weekend came around. True, I'd probably be raped again – multiple times – but maybe everyone at school would forget about the things I've done and said in the past four days. To them, the weekend was a time to relax, refresh, to forget what they've learned and go back with blank minds. The best part was when they complained on Mondays.

"I'm so _tired_." "This is _boring_!" "My life _su-ucks!_"

That last one's my favorite.

* * *

**Fang POV**

Max _was_ at school the next day, but she looked completely freaked. She was even _thinner_, now looking like a classroom skeleton with some skin stretched over. She looked overwhelmed – she was noticeably shaking – and it looked like she was trying to avoid coming in contact with _everyone_. If someone just brushed by her, she jumped a little or her jaw would tighten. She looked up and saw me, then started to walk toward me. I raised my hand in greeting and she stopped. She looked down, like she was concentrating on something, and hurried off in the other direction.

"Max!" I called after her. I knew she could hear me, but she didn't turn around. She only walked faster. So I followed her – instinct, I guess. I was almost caught up with her when the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the school day. Max sprinted away while I turned and headed back toward History. My History class was upstairs, building two. My second period was right below me and my third period was down the hall. My fourth period was across the school, in building fourteen. Yes, my school _does_ have fourteen buildings. They were laid out pretty poorly too. They started on one side and traveled to the other. When the buildings reached the edge of the property, they'd curve back and come the other way. _Really_ confusing for all of the Freshmen.

When I got in to History, Iggy was sitting in his seat, taking notes that were already up on the projector screen. Ah, it was one of _those_ days; at least Mr. Pint let us talk, as long as we got the notes down.

"So, uh, Lissa's friends," Iggy began, "they were pretty hot."

"I guess so." I muttered to him, scribbling as fast as I could before the slide changed. Tess and Brigid had sat with us on Tuesday – Lissa checked with us on Monday to make sure it was all right. I hadn't paid any attention to them though, not with Lissa by my side.

"Of course, Lissa's not hard to look at either." Iggy said. _That_ caught my attention. I stopped writing and glared at Iggy, my jaw tightening. "I'm just kidding, man." He said, holding his hands in a 'calm down' gesture. I scoffed at him and started copying the new slide. "Anyway," Iggy continued, "I think Tess is hotter than Brigid. I mean, they're both blonde but I like how Tess's eyes are green, not blue."

"Uh huh." I replied, starting to block him out. I don't know how much time passed, maybe thirty minutes? I looked at the clock and realized that I was exactly right. I smiled to myself and then realized that Iggy was no longer ranting about which blonde was hotter. I looked up at him.

"You stopped talking." I pointed out.

"Yeah," he said, sounding a bit annoyed, "28 minutes ago. The conversation ended with me trying to get your attention."

"My bad." I said, starting to pack up my things. Iggy snorted.

"Yeah, your bad." I shrugged my shoulders in apology as the bell rang.

"See you in English." I said with a nod. Iggy raised his hand without looking at me and I knew he was a little ticked. It wasn't my fault; I tended to block someone out if they talked more than ten seconds – practice from Nudge. I walked in to my math class, being one of the first ones there. Like I said, it was right below my first period. My math class was always chatty, the teacher let us work in groups; I usually worked alone. I didn't like the people in my second period – the football players, the cheerleaders, the _friends _of the football players and cheerleaders. The announcements came on at the beginning of the period and I asked Mrs. Corbett if I could go to the restroom right before the principle's message started. She handed me the bright pink pass, that was taped together down the middle, and I made my way out of the classroom. I went to the second-story bathroom – they were the nicest in the school. I stopped at the water fountain before entering the mens' room, when I heard a loud _bang_ from down the hall. I stood up, startled by the sound, and saw Max sprinting down the hallway. She stopped when she saw me, a questioning look on her face, before she remembered _why_ she was rushing to the bathroom. She flung the girls' door open before rushing inside. Literally two seconds later, I heard Max throwing up. I was about to walk in and check on her, but another girl came walking toward the bathroom, so I decided against it. I went back to math. I would have to tell Iggy about this in third period.

* * *

"What did she look like when she stared at you?" Iggy asked in English.

"Like, her facial expression?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know," I sighed, "scared? She looked at me like I was going to hurt her. That's weird, right?" I asked him.

"Uh, _yeah_." He whispered in a 'no duh' voice. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Do you think we should ask her to sit with us at lunch?"

"_We_?" Iggy asked. "I don't know about you, but I think we have enough girls at the table – one for you and two for me." He grinned, indicating that he was joking. I shrugged.

"I don't know, she's always sitting by herself. I thought she might like sitting with us." I told him.

"Yeah, or _you _might like her sitting with us." Iggy murmured.

"_What_? No! I like Lissa, Ig. I don't know what kind of crazy pills _you're_ taking but –"

"I'm just saying . . ." Iggy drifted off, leaving us in silence for the rest of the period.

* * *

"So Max turned down your invitation, huh?" Iggy joked when he sat down. Lissa answered him before I did.

"Max Tyler? The one with the brown hair? You're friends with him?" She asked.

"No." Iggy answered. "Max, the _girl_." There was only one girl named Max at this school, and Lissa knew who she was.

"Maximum _Ride_?" She asked. "She doesn't talk to anyone, why would you invite her to the table?" She didn't sound mad, just confused.

"Her name's Maximum Ride?" Iggy asked. "That's an interesting name. You think maybe she –"

"_Can_ it, Iggy." I warned. "She didn't turn it down because I didn't ask her. The last time I saw her was in second period when she raced to the bathroom."

"She didn't even ask the teacher." Lissa informed. "She just got up and ran."

"Any idea as to _why_?" I asked her.

"No clue." She sighed after a moment of thought. She smiled at me apologetically as Brigid sat next to her and Tess sat next to Iggy. That was the end of the conversation about Max. My only question was this: why was Max's last name Ride when her dad's is Batchelder? And what was she _hiding_ that Ms. Ammon knows about?

Sorry . . . I lied.

* * *

When I walked in to science, the first thing I noticed was Max and Ms. Ammon talking quietly, most likely about all the homework she missed – or about her secret that Ms. Ammon vaguely clued me in about. The second thing I noticed was Ari and his line of sight. I think we all know where he was looking. I got kind of . . . angry, I guess. All I could think was that Max didn't deserve to be stared at by a creepy quarterback. So I made sure to break his gaze by walking in front of him – rather than behind – to get to my desk. More students began to walk in at that point, so he didn't look at her again . . .

Good.

Ms. Ammon started talking about some _thing_ called genetic engineering. Apparently you can make new life forms with it. I'd never heard of it before, but it seemed pretty cool. Ari asked if it were possible to combine bird DNA with that of a person's. I almost laughed at the idea when I noticed the uncomfortable silence. Max had turned to glare at Ari and I noticed that she shook her head very slight – a warning move you'd make if someone were getting extremely close to saying something about you and you didn't want people to know. Ms. Ammon's eyes flicked between them. Her mouth twitched in to a smile before she laughed.

"I don't think that's possible; to create a new hybrid, you need two species to be closely related in class. Avian DNA can't be joined with human DNA, they're not even mammals."

"Hm, never mind then." Ari said. I paid close attention to everything. How Max's body had tensed, Ms. Ammon looked shocked before she answered, Ari seemed like he knew Max's secret – the same one that Ms. Ammon knew –, which made sense as to why she was shocked. Then Max spoke.

"Besides, even if you _did_ graft avian and human DNA together, the outcome wouldn't live long."

She seemed to know a bit about how this stuff worked which made me think of _another_ question, numero tres. How could she know that unless . . .

Was _Max_ a hybrid? Now that _really_ made me want to laugh. It was too ridiculous.

* * *

I thought about talking to Max on Friday, but she had been avoiding me. Every time she saw me, she'd walk in the opposite direction. So instead, I sat with my friends – Lissa, Iggy, Tess, and Brigid. Everyone was laughing at a joke Lissa had just told and I smiled brightly at her, my way of complimenting her cleverness. Tess and Iggy had been talking more and she moved to sit next to him. Then Brigid moved next to _her _because they were "inseparable", as Lissa put it. I could _tell_ he was liking her, Tess. I think even _she_ could tell. It doesn't matter though, they'd be together soon enough. As for me and Lissa, we had another date tonight. She's been talking about this Broadway show that's been on tour since our first date. I was able to snag tickets to the show at our theater. We would have to walk, but that's okay. Everything's at walking distance here. She doesn't know we're going, just that I have a surprise for her.

I hope she likes it, it cost me about 110 a ticket.

* * *

I had just gotten home from my date with Lissa. She freaked out when she saw the theater. She grabbed my arm and lent in to it, jumping and laughing like a maniac. I almost regretted taking her. But after she calmed down, I could still see the excitement in her eyes. I do have to say that I enjoyed myself. The whole thing was entertaining – the costumes, props, songs, dialogue – it actually made me laugh. Like, I couldn't stop. It was kind of scary.

When I walked in my front door, the first thing I felt like doing wasn't taking off my dress clothes, it was to make cookies. Tollhouse, chocolate chip. My mom always had some here, in case we – _I_ – ever craved cookies when she was gone. I went to go change, after I popped them in to the oven, when I realized that I've never seen them bake before. So I sat down with my back against the island and watched them for twelve minutes. The process was rather slow so I'll give you the fast version. They kind of melt, then the edge of the cookies start to bake because it's the thinnest part at that moment, and then the rest of the melty part that's on the inside bakes. Voila! Now you know.

The oven beeped, signaling to take the cookies out, and the beeps reminded me of how someone tried to call me in the middle of the show. I took the cookies out and turned the oven off before I opened my phone, to see that I had one missed call _and_ that they left a voicemail. I listened to it.

"Hello Jonah, it's Dr. Batchelder. I tried to get Max to call you, but she didn't seem too happy about it when I asked her. Said she's been trying to avoid you? Anyway, you seemed like a nice guy so I called you for her. She's home now and doesn't know I'm calling you. Call back if you decide to head over." The message ended. I called the number back.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Yeah, I'm on my way."

**Oh my god! FANG! You ACTUALLY figured it out! Why did you shut the idea down? Oh yeah . . . because I made you :p Anyway, please review you guys! It'd be awesome if I could get 8 reviews before the next chapter :) I hope you guys liked it. I was writing Fang's POV when my computer restarted (with no warning) and I lost all of it. Unfortunately, this isn't as good as the first one I wrote, but I put what I remembered :) **

**Song of the day: Mad World by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi guys ... :) I'm sorry. There'll be bullet points at the bottom to read.**

"Thank you for calling me, Dr. Batchelder," I said when he opened the door. He smiled as I walked past him.

"Any time," he answered, "I don't know why my daughter is trying to ignore you, you seem like a well-rounded young man."

"Thank you, sir."

"Max's room is this way," he gestured. I nodded my head and followed him. It seemed odd, in a house like this; I had figured Max's room would be further down a hallway or upstairs. Not in a room directly next to the main entry. But I didn't think anything of it at the time. I was more concerned about dropping off the ring and getting home before the cookies got cold. When Dr. Batchelder opened the door to Max's room, I laughed a little. I thought he was joking – it was pitch black.

Then he just stared at me and I realized I had walked straight in to a trap. He was the one hurting Max; I could see it in his eyes. He moved fast and, before I could do anything, he shoved me in to the darkness. As soon as I started to tumble down the stairs, I pulled my knees, arms, and head in to my chest so I wouldn't break any ribs – or my neck. When I hit bottom, I moaned and uncurled myself. Then Dr. Batchelder turned on some lights. About fifteen feet away from me, I saw her. Her eyes were squeezed shut, not ready for the bright lights that flicked on just a moment before. And then I saw a soft, crumpled-looking material wrapped around her. When it shifted, I noticed that the crumples revealed themselves to be feathers. There were wings protruding from her back. Then her eyes slowly opened in a squint and I saw the usual chocolate color, but they had begun to dull like the rest of her. She life was only halfway there.

Max.

At least, it _looked_ like her. I knew it wasn't it couldn't have been. Because this thing was… an angel. Angels have wings, right? It could be the only explanation! I had planned to fight past Dr. Batchelder and get out of here, but then I saw her and fell in to awe. I never even _began_ to think that they existed.

Her eyes set on my face and then widened in shock as she started toward me. She stumbled over her own feet in her haste. She dropped on to her knees, skinning them, and began to help me sit up. I met her eyes and she gave me a sad smile.

"Hi, Fang," she whispered. How did she know my _name_?

_Because it's Max, you idiot, _my subconscious said. I reached out to touch her face. I could feel every bone clearly, even her teeth. She brought her hand up to hold my hand in place. I looked back to her wings, then again to her face, trying to make a connection between the two.

"Why would you come here?" she asked, her voice desperate.

Then Dr. Batchelder yanked her up and threw her like she weighed as much as a pencil. She lay completely still. She was either dead or unconscious. I hoped for the latter. Dr. Batchelder was a lot stronger than he looked. I wasn't able to resist him when he dragged me toward a metal door, but I definitely tried. I saw Max's limp body and pushed myself to try and get to her.

It didn't work.

Dr. Batchelder pulled me in to a small white room and strapped me down on to a hard bed. It smelt like a hospital. Looked like one too. Needles, bottles of various liquids, a heart monitor, electrodes, and a viewing screen all decorated the room.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" he asked as he strapped my head down. I got a good look at him while he tightened it. His hair was turning gray, tops of his ears were a little pink, age spots starting on his hands, and eyes that seemed to be agitated. By the way he blinked, my guess was that he was wearing contacts. "She's a masterpiece," he continued, "_my_ masterpiece."

"_Masterpiece_?" I asked, trying to keep myself from picturing his head being blown off. He destroyed an angel.

"She's so incredibly successful. The _most_ successful creature known to man, in fact. We've put her through many tests and unfortunately, the results weren't exactly what we were hoping for."

"_We_?" I asked. I couldn't believe there were more people like him that lived in this town. He smiled, amused, but continued like I hadn't spoken.

"So we're retiring her," he sighed. "It's a shame, really. We could have learned _so _much more from her. Hopefully, we'll get more information from the other Subject. We currently moved him to the lab here. It's more convenient than having to travel to California every other weekend."

"There's a lab here?"

"Just outside of town, actually. Disguised as the Facility for Technology Advancements. Pretty clever, right? We give tours to school children and they have absolutely no idea that, two stories below them, we're experimenting on kids their age or younger."

"How do you even get a hold of the kids?" I asked, feeling nauseated. Then it dawned on me. "The hospital."

"It's quite easy actually, since it's a compound building. Our doctors tell the parents that the child has complications, but they're working as hard as they can to aid it. Then a few hours later, they deliver the fatal news." There was no remorse when he spoke. Everything was a matter-of-fact.

"My mom had a friend who lost her baby there. His name was Dylan. Ever hear of him?" I asked cruelly, my voice dripped with poison. Dr. Batchelder's mouth twitched and then he quickly turned toward a beaker full of syringes and plucked one out.

"And what are you planning on doing with me? People will notice I'm gone," I pointed out.

"I bet you didn't tell anyone you were coming here," he said. He held up the syringe, now filled with a blue liquid, and smiled maliciously before sticking the needle up under my jaw.

* * *

It was so realistic. I knew it _wasn't_ real, but I could smell the air – thick and metallic like iron. In a dark, echo-y room, I took small steps toward a pale, glowing figure placed faraway from me.

She didn't have wings. She looked how I first met her. But her body was mangled. She looked as though she fell off a building. I called her name as I ran closer. She did not respond. As I stood next to her, I saw the pool of blood like a halo around her head. Her skull was crushed in.

"Max," I spoke gently, like I was trying to wake her up on an early morning. I sat on my knees and took her hand. I still felt warmth in the tips of her fingers.

Movement caught my eye. On Max's shirt, I saw multiple red spots blooming in two symmetrical lines – four on each side. I pulled her shirt up and saw fresh, gaping wounds – one between each rib.

"This is your fault," I heard a voice say. Dr. Batchelder stepped in to the light.

"_What?_" I asked incredulously.

"You did this to her," he blamed, and then he gestured to my hand. I lifted it in front of my face. A dagger had appeared in my grasp, dripping with Max's blood. I threw the dagger and it passed through his chest, dropping to the floor.

"That was pathetic," he laughed. Then he disappeared, swallowed up by the darkness. I was left alone with Max's body; all I could do now was stare at the death that emanated from it.

"I'm sorry, Max," I told her softly. Though I hadn't actually killed her, Dr. Batchelder was right. It was my fault. My actions caused everything that had happened to her.

I became angry. Angry at myself and my actions, at Dr. Batchelder, at the damn hallucination. I wanted out. I wanted Max alive.

"Wake up!" I screamed; to whom, I don't know. I might have been telling myself to wake up. I might have been begging Max to come back and make this nightmare a bit more bearable.

"Wake up, Max!" Maybe if she woke up, the dream would end. I continued to scream her name for another half of a minute. Then I sat and held my head in my hands. Max's blood streamed toward me and soaked in to my pants and weighed me down.

I just wanted out. I thought about how to wake myself up and realized that this was truly a nightmare. And in nightmares, people always wake up before they die. I scrambled past Max, to look for the knife that flew through Dr. Batchelder's chest. If it didn't hurt him, it couldn't hurt me. Right?

The further I crawled away from Max's body, the darker the space became, and the more difficult it was to locate the dagger. But I did find it. My hand slipped over the edge and was sliced open. I couldn't feel it. I hoped that was a good sign.

I grabbed the hilt, pointed the tip toward my heart, and with one last look at Max, I drove the blade in.

* * *

My body was in shock. I could hear the heart monitor beeping erratically. Everything was blurred, but when the room came in to view, I saw Dr. Batchelder smiling.

"That's incredible! The serum wasn't supposed to wear off for another twenty minutes! You _forced_ yourself to come to."

"How long was I out?" I asked as he ripped electrodes off me. He left the clip on my pointer finger – the heart monitor.

"Almost two hours. The less solution there is in your system, the shorter amount of time you're unconscious. I gave you the maximum amount of solution that a human can take. Any more than 25 milliliters, and the mind becomes stuck in a state of fear. Everything in real life distorts, causing the subject to go insane."

"So that serum induces fear."

"Yes. And actually, I'm quite interested in yours." He rapped his knuckle against the screen – he had watched my dream through the electrodes. "Why _do_ you dream of Max?" he questioned.

"I don't think it has so much to do with her as it does with me," I tell him.

"How so?"

"I'm afraid of hurting people," I lie, hoping to protect Max and myself. In the next second, Dr. Batchelder was glaring over me, his hands slammed down on the gurney.

"I know you're lying," he pointed to the heart monitor, "and if I were you, I'd definitely consider telling the truth. You see, I have a few friends in the next room over, taking care of Max. We wouldn't want anything to _happen_ to her, now, would we?"

I stared at him with a mixture of loathing and cooperation. He asked me again, "_Why_ do you dream about Max?"

"I care about her," I muttered.

"Awh," he crooned. "How sweet and sentimental. I hope you don't mind if I run a few tests on you."

Dr. Batchelder pressed a button on the top of the machine. "Now all of your results will be transmitted to my office upstairs." He left the room and the heavy door closed on its own. Then I heard a man's voice outside the door.

"What do you want us to do with the boy?"

"Do nothing with him. Do anything you can to inflict pain on the girl." And then Dr. Batchelder left the basement.

For the next hour or so, I tried not to listen to what the men were saying to Max. I realized that what was happening _now_, was what was happening during all the days she was missing from school. She'd been locked down here for a month. I could only blame myself – I should have helped her earlier.

Then they stopped and I was so thankful. I needed us to get out of this real life nightmare. I needed a plan, and fast. I could hear Max whimpering in the other room. I struggled to free myself and get to her. The heart monitor began to beep hysterically. I stopped, thinking that Dr. Batchelder would notice the different heart rate and become suspicious. I calmed myself.

Then I heard a man say, "Break a rib."

"No!" I screamed. After a pause, I heard the man chuckle, and then a deafening crack echoed through the basement and in to my bones. Anger surged through me, my adrenaline raised, the monitor beeped rapidly, and I discovered my escape.

* * *

**Max POV**

They were saying cruel things to me, trying to convince me to make noise so they would enjoy themselves more. I wouldn't. Not only because Fang was in the next room, but because I wouldn't give them that satisfaction. I stayed silent; I took the beatings they gave. I didn't want Fang to struggle through my pain.

They were angry with me for keeping quiet. And their way to make me pay for it was to twist my arm until my elbow and wrist broke. The pain shot through my entire arm and began to throb. I began to fix them immediately. As they slowly shifted in to place, I couldn't help but whimper – my body automatically did it.

I was trying to refuse to make any type of sound, in case Fang could hear. I would rather die than make him suffer.

Once my arm was completely fixed, my breathing returned to normal. The Pervs were not happy with my insufficient amount of pain. I heard the Cigar Man grunt with discontent.

"Break a rib," he commanded.

"No!" I heard Fang plead from the other room. I gasped – he could hear everything.

Then a hand forced itself down on to my bottom rib and snapped it. I couldn't breath for half a minute. Tears streamed down my face. Though I've had ribs broken before, it felt a lot more painful now. I didn't have the energy to fix another bone, so I left it. The Cigar Man growled again. It wasn't my fault that I was acting this way. I've learned that if I didn't struggle, they'd leave faster. Maybe if I acted like I didn't hurt, they'd leave me to die – or kill me themselves. Either would be nice.

And they _did _"pain" me to death. I don't know where they got it, but I can honestly say that it was the most painful thing I've been through – physically. They let Ari do it, too. He brought down the whip again and again, across my back and wings. Sometimes the whip would slip through a wound that had already been made – causing the cuts to fall deeper. I felt the whip slice my feathers in half. I felt warm blood dripping from the every-which-way wounds.

"You don't belong here," Ari spoke. I turned to face his voice, having to vent my anger toward _something_. "You walk around," he continued, "acting like you're one of us. You're _not_ one of us." I used my arms to block my face from the weapon that struck with each word. When Ari stopped, I let my arms fall.

"No," I told him, "I'm not. I'm stronger, more sophisticated, smarter, and overall – I'm _better_ than you."

With a yell, Ari slashed the whip across my throat. Darkness took over my heart.

**Alright, you guys. There's really no explaination on why I took so long. I just really dreaded this chapter and couldn't find a way that I liked it written out. Anyway, y'all should know I will _never_ abandon a story :) Please review! No hate! I already feel bad :p**

**Also, some things that have happened since I last posted (January):**

***I got a typewriter! That was cool.**

***I found an amzing website with really cheap cute clothes! ($600 for 55 items? I think yes)**

***I made Max on sims and she was voted "Most Likely to Save the World". Ironic, right?**

***Would you guys read a completely original piece?**

***I met a guy named Dylan, he told me his name was Kyle. I still call him Kyle to piss him off :)**

***There was a blind woman who competed on Master Chef. She won. REPRESENT!**

***I made a Tumblr to put up any doodles that might help y'all visualize the story better. Once I figure out how to put my own pics up, y'all should check it out! My screenname is the same :)**

***My sister works in the new Superstar Parade at Universal Orlando! She's a Jellyfish with the Spongebob float. If y'all are ever at the park, check out the parade! Especially if it's on a Saturday!**

***Oh, yeah! I also got the lead role in The Nutcracker! It's a ballet, people :p**


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